Stealing Hearts
by filipinafox
Summary: Ezio's quest for vengence takes him to Venice and he enconters new people, as well as his past. Just as he thinks he has it all figured out,his world is turned upsidedown.Totally rewritten must read.
1. Chapter 1

**The start of my new beginning in this story. Totally rewritten so if you have read it before you will want to reread it because you might miss something important. Thank you for taking the time to read this I hope you enjoy :D**

Chapter 1: The Rescue

Ezio perched himself on a beam overlooking the marketplace. The Venetian sun was high in the sky, beaming unto his robes, creating an uncomfortable sweat that stuck his bronze hair to his forehead. The stench from rotting fish caught in the dawn hours was overwhelming when he first arrived, but he had gotten used to it. Blacksmiths tailors and fishermen shouted eagerly to the crowds, desperately trying to sell their wares. Ezio scanned the area for anything or anyone suspicious but then immediately diverted his attention back to her. Rosa, a feisty little thief whose life he saved just a few days earlier was visiting the marketplace not to pick pockets but to gather supplies for the guild. She was hardly able to walk without those crutches but she insisted on doing something productive for the guild. Typical Rosa he thought. He snickered to himself as she balanced on one crutch while trying to examine some fresh fruits in the other hand. It took a lot to tie her down, something he really admired about her personality. Although he's only known her for a week he took it upon himself to ensure her safety, even if she didn't know he was stalking her.

After making her purchases, Rosa began hobbling back to the guild. The streets were crowded and it was hard for Ezio to keep track of her movements without her seeing him. A brunette with lofty curves leaning against an alleyway took Ezio's eyes away for a moment until he was interrupted by cries from below. People were being shoved out of the way scraping the streets as a group of mercenaries that Ezio had never seen in Venice before, made their way through the crowd. Grunting obscenities, the mercenaries shoved all in their path down to the pavement. Ezio thought nothing of it until he saw various fruits and a pair of crutches sprawled across the pavement. He frantically scanned the streets looking for Rosa.

_Merda_! Where did she go?

Ezio heard a woman's cry from an alleyway ahead. Racing towards the sound, it only took but a few seconds for him to arrive above the source. Below, the mercenaries were huddled around Rosa, all trying to rip a piece of clothing off of her. Rosa, however, was making this increasingly difficult. Her leg was injured but that didn't keep her from flailing and punching arms wildly about.

"_Mettere le mani di me ti maiale!_" Rosa yelled

Ezio descended upon the men who stopped their actions upon his arrival. They immediately rose, and stood side by side, blocking Rosa from his view. Ezio counted five of them, average sized although there was one who looked only to be in his teenage years and very timid. Their clothing was stained from dirt sweat and God knows what. Most of them had hair that was greasy and kept up by a strip of cloth they had no doubly torn from their trousers. Their appearance only lead Ezio to conclude that they weren't the high end muscle the Doge would hire, but they certainly had the means to get the job done no matter the cost.

The largest mercenary stepped forward. His face was plagued by divots and scars gained from many battles. "Go away _bastardo_ this does not concern you." The mercenary spat towards Ezio.

Rosa was lying on the ground buttoning her shirt back up not quite aware of what was happening.

"Quite the contrary gentlemen, I'm going to give you the opportunity to leave now or there will be hell to pay." Ezio threatened.

Ezio heard the approaching footsteps of the thieves on the rooftops nearby.

"What are you going to do _ragazzo_?" The largest mercenary lifted his cape to reveal the hilt of his sword.

With a coy smile beneath his hood, Ezio held up his hand and motioned for the mercenaries to come in his direction. Infuriated by his blatant challenge, the mercenaries rushed at him carelessly with their swords drawn. Ezio drew his hidden blades he had filled with poison earlier today. As two of them charged, the sound of clashing metal filled the alley. Ezio graciously blocked their swords with his bracers, effortlessly flicking his wrist, sending the blades that had been filled with poison into their bodies. He did not keep the blades in long enough to administer a dose that would kill, but only render them unconscious. The other three were too busy with the gang of thieves that had arrived as Ezio was battling the first two to notice their comrades had fallen. Ezio took what was left of an abandoned wooden crate in the alley and bashed one of the mercenaries over the head, sending him to the floor. The last two were finished off by the thieves, who used the hilt of their own daggers to punish the mercenaries.

"Take these scumbags to the guild and restrain them in the basement. Now!" Ezio commanded, authoritatively pointing at the thieves.

Ezio quickly went to Rosa who was still sitting on the pavement, somewhat out of the daze she was in. He examined her body closely, searching for any open wounds that would require immediate attention. There were a few minor cuts but, assuming she was ok, he tried to lift her as he had done a few days prior. She immediately clutched her arm, which caused Ezio to place her back on the ground.

"_Merda!_"She yelped in agony. "I think those _bastardos _broke my arm! Rosa's eyes writhed in pain. Ezio was no doctor, but his little brother, Petruccio, had once broken his arm in an attempt to imitate a jump Ezio did between two houses. He remembered when his father came with the doctor who immediately immobilized the arm with a cast.

Not having one of those handy, Ezio took another piece from the crate he used to bash the mercenary and broke it into two pieces. He placed a board on either side of Rosa's broken arm. Ezio cut a bit of excess off of his sash and used that to bond the two boards together. Rosa bit her lip in pain as he pulled the strands tight. Instinctively she tried to lift herself up to walk on her own, but her other arm only gave way under her weight sending her plopping back onto the pavement.

"Be still." Ezio whispered reassuringly as he lifted her carefully, avoiding moving her arm, and began sprinting lightly back towards the guild.

A crowd who had witnessed the event had gathered outside the alleyway. They began applauding when the thieves carried out the unconscious bodies of the mercenaries as well as when Ezio carried Rosa away. This only made Rosa more infuriated. She felt helpless enough in her situation already, and these people had the audacity to applaud it?

Rosa cut her eyes. "How did you get to me so fast?"

Looking around as if he was going to find an answer in the scenery Ezio tried to make up an excuse. "Uhmm lets not worry about that now we need to get you ho-"

"Were you stalking me?" Rosa exclaimed "What? You don't think I can handle myself? _Idiota!_ I'm just fine on my own!" Rosa scoffed, clearly insulted by Ezio's gesture of kindness

"I was only looking out for you!"

Rosa could feel anger welling up in her chest. No one went toe to toe with her and won. "Well I told you I am just fine on my own!" Rosa grumbled. "I don't need you or anyone else to help me."

Ezio sighed heavily. When he rescued someone they tended to not be this angry with him. Clearly the pain was getting to her so he picked up the pace to a sprint.

The guild was in sight now. It was no grand _palazzo_. It was an inconspicuous set of buildings interconnected on the banks of the canal. The walls were made of stone that had been battered by relentless rains for many years. Eroded in appearance, the walls still held strong to the touch. Here the odor of fish was washed away by the costal breeze. Certainly not what one of nobility would expect live in, but to Rosa this was the home she had known for many years.

The one who recruited her here, Antonio, was the leader of the thieves, and a father to her in everything but blood. He had taken her in and taught her the ways of a thief. He was also the one to save her from her arrow injury earlier this week. The two now could only hope that he was home to help now.

When the pair arrived, Antonio was nowhere to be found and the guild looked deserted so Ezio carried Rosa up the stairs to her quarters.

Ezio had never been in her room before, and he wasn't sure any man had been before him. The room was cold and damp. Paint that was once vibrant green was long past faded and now cracking along the walls. Patches where the paint had already been peeled off revealed a gray undertone that was an odd compliment to the green. There was a desk that sat on the wall directly across from the bed that sat next to the window. The wood floors creaked with his every step. He laid her down gently on the bed; it too creaked when he set her down. He hurriedly walked into the connecting bathroom to retrieve warm water and a rag.

When Ezio returned, Rosa's eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily through her nose. He placed the bucket beside the bed and rung out the rag. Ezio lightly doused it along her forehead. The warmth brought a slight smile to Rosa, even though her eyes were still closed. He wiped away the dirt and sweat from her forehead to her cheekbones, and then traced the rim of her lips, where blood had spilled from it being cut open. She murmured softly as he finished wiping her neck, down to her chest.

Soon, a grimace replaced the smile that occupied her face. Ezio could tell the pain was getting worse. _Where the hell was Antonio?_ Trying to make her as comfortable as possible, Ezio removed the makeshift splint from her arm, which revealed even more blood from a cut he hadn't initially seen on her bicep. Quickly he realized he would have to remove her shirt to clean it.

"Do I have permission to remove you shirt? I assure you this is in no way sexual." Ezio added the last bit with a sly grin on his face. He didn't usually ask to remove a woman's clothing.

Rosa was past the point of caring about pride or anything else for that matter. The pain in her arm had become reminiscent of the sharp pain she felt in her thigh when it had been pierced by an arrow. "Fine." She cried still in agony. "Just get the pain to stop please."

With some hesitation, Ezio began unbuttoning her shirt. His hands trembled unnaturally. She pulled the first arm out of the shirt herself, but did not even attempt to move the second one. When Ezio tried to touch it, she jerked away. Left with no choice, Ezio drew his stiletto, and placed the sharp side facing up at the cuff of her shirt. The knife slid through the shirt effortlessly and revealed where her skin had been slashed open. Blood still seeped from the opening. He quickly wiped it away and turned the remnants of her shirt into a makeshift bandage. Ezio pulled the rest of the shirt from under her, revealing her entire midsection to his wide eyes.

Ezio noted that her skin had lost the olive complexion he once remembered to a paler pasty one. During her recovery from the arrow, she had stayed indoors most of the time. Not by her own choice, but by Antonio's choosing.

He brought the rag back to her chest, and slowly wiped down her breast and rib areas. Many scars broke the evenness of her midsection, the price of a life of thievery and running rooftops. Some were small and insignificant, while there was a few the size of a dagger or arrow tip. Ezio absentmindedly traced them with his finger as he continued to wipe down her stomach. His hand passed over her bellybutton; he could feel the bumps where her abdominal muscles protruded under her skin. As he bent over to place the rag back into the bucket, a long and unnatural line below her ribcage caught his eye. Without thinking, he ran his finger along it, feeling the difference in texture it had in relation to the rest of her skin.

"Like what you see _pervertito_? She teased, in her usual flirtatious manner.

Broken from his daze, Ezio smiled charmingly. "This scar," his hand still laid on her midsection "Where did you get it?"

Rosa pursed her lips "That is a long story." She covered his hand with her free one. "That I wish not to speak of right now." Her eyes and voice had softened considerably. Just then Antonio burst into the room.

"I heard what had happened from Cristiano and I-" Ezio quickly broke their touch and stood with his hands behind his back.

"What the hell is going on? And why is your shirt off?" Antonio shifted his eyes from Ezio to Rosa, not sure who to chastise at first. Seeing the bloodied shirt, he hurried to Rosa's side. Gently he ran his fingers along her arm.

"_Cazzo_ it's broken." He placed his hand on Rosa's good shoulder. "I'm going to have to snap it back into place."

Rosa grit her teeth, imagining just how pleasant this was going to feel. "Do it quickly" She turned her head away from the injured arm and squeezed her eyes shut.

Seeing her fear, Ezio grabbed her hand without thinking. Antonio put a hand on either side of the broken arm.

"One…Two…" Rosa's body tensed and her grip tightened on Ezio's hand. Antonio quickly pushed one hand upward so that it was level with the other. A sickening snap ensued.

"_Cazzo!_ Rosa cried loud enough to wake the dead. "What the hell happened to three?"

"_Mi dispace piccola_, I did not want you to flinch." Antonio wrapped her arm in a strand of cloth he had brought with him. Being in a thieves guild, broken bones were a weekly occurrence. Rosa usually laughed when a new thief would break their arms while running the rooftops. Now, she was just glad Antonio had the experience to help her.

"Try to stay in bed this time until you are healed ok?" Antonio stood and began to walk towards the door. "That should do for now, I am going get Bianca so she can make a more permanent cast for you. Ezio, behave yourself while I am gone." Closing the door behind him, the two were left alone again.

Ezio peered down at his hand which was still in Rosa's grasp.

"You can let go of my hand now" Ezio flashed a smile. The gesture was returned by Rosa.

Ezio noticed she was shivering so he fetched a dingy white blanket off the desk and placed it over Rosa's still exposed body.

She brushed the loose hairs from her eyes. "Thank you Ezio, for everything. I suppose you not a complete _idiota_."

"You're welcome" he grinned and bent over and kissed her forehead. "_buonanotte singora_" Ezio whispered and walked out of the room.

She didn't want him to leave but before she got the chance to say anything he was out the window. She had to admit she was puzzled by the attention she was receiving from Ezio. Then again this was Ezio Auditore, charming, and clever with only one goal in mind. Women melted at his touch, and as soon as he screwed them he left. She wasn't going to be another name to his list, if he wanted her affection she was going to have to work for it.

Italian Translations

_Merda_-Shit

_Pervertito_-Pervert

_Mettere le mani di me ti maiale_-get your hands off of me

_Mi dispace_- I'm sorry

_Piccola_-Sweetheart

_Buonanotte singora_- Goodnight

**So hopefully this chapter was better than the original. I'm in the process of re-revising the entire story to make it hopefully better. I always appreciate criticism of any kind so hit me with anything you like dislike or hate in the review section. Thank you ****J**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Interrogation

After leaving Rosa's quarters Ezio retreated downstairs to Antonio's office. What he did not expect was to walk in on a fiery rampage with Antonio at the helm. Inside the office the thieves Ugo, Tankredo and Cristiano stood in front of Antonio, who was posed behind his mock Seta. These were three of the most respected and experienced thieves in the guild. They were also the ones who were closest to Rosa and Antonio.

"I want you to find out who the _stronzo_ is that sent them and I want him dead!" Antonio demanded slamming his fists against the table, knocking is figurines out of place.

Ezio had never seen him this upset before. But he had good reason to be perturbed. Rosa was a daughter and sister to these men in all but blood. They would be damned before anyone was going to hurt her.

"We have the mercenaries in the cells below but they are still out cold." Cristiano stated

"Damn Ezio what did you give them?" Antonio asked astounded.

"My secret sauce" Ezio raised his eyebrows enthusiastically.

All the thieves made disgusted looks.

"Poison you _idiotas_, but not enough to kill."

"Good then go find out who sent those _bastardos_ and kill him." Commanded Antonio

"With pleasure." Turning to leave Ezio was stopped by Antonio's address.

"And by the way Ezio how were you the first to Rosa? I had Cristiano shadowing her at the market?" Antonio asked raising his hand in confusion.

"I was getting uhmmm, you know, meat and stuff... _Merda!_ I was watching over her ok? I didn't think she was safe by herself so I shadowed her."

"Well thank you, from all of us. We couldn't bear to lose her; we have had enough close calls as it is."

Ezio nodded left the room. He headed into the infirmary, which ironically held an entrance to the basement below. Walking down the stairs, Ezio had to grab a torch and carry it with him along the hallways. There were no windows, and only one way out. It was a dank and wet dwelling. The walls were infested with some kind of green moss due to the moisture and lack of sunlight. Ezio had to fan his nose to keep the overwhelming smell of must out of his system.

As he neared the end of the stairs he could hear muffled cries not too far from where he stood. After rounding a corner, He could see five men gagged and bound to chairs that circled a dim lantern. As he got closer, the sound of his wet footsteps raised their heads in alert. One made a futile attempt at talking, but it ended up being muffled by the stocking that had been shoved in their mouth.

Deciding to use their surroundings to his advantage Ezio spoke while staying in the shadows.

"I am only going to ask nicely once." The prisoners looked around, and then at each other trying to find the source of the voice. "Who sent you and for what purpose?" Ezio's voice bellowed loudly.

None of the mercenaries dared say anything. They exchanged defiant glances that assured if Ezio didn't kill them for not speaking, they would kill the one who did.

The door creaked open, and then slammed shut. Light footsteps splashed along the floor until they found Ezio, who stood a few feet behind the mercenaries. Bringing the torch to his face, Ezio recognized it as Cristiano, one of the thieves who aided him in rescuing Rosa.

"Anything I can do to help with these _bastardos_?" By his voice, Ezio could tell he was itching for revenge, and there were five of them, he didn't want to be here all night.

"_Si_, follow my lead."

Ezio crept silently behind the largest mercenary's chair. He wheezed as he took each deep breath. Without warning, Ezio grabbed the chair by the armrests and drug it away from the mercenary's circle practically knocking the breath from the man. The mercenary cried as the chair was sent reeling backwards into the darkness. Ezio made sure that he was still in earshot of the other mercenaries when he took the gag out from the mouth of the mercenary.

He squatted down to eye level and brought the torch to the mercenary's eyes. Sharply blinded by the sudden burst of light, he turned away.

"Last chance." Cristiano appeared from the shadows holding a glowing orange brand. "Who sent you!" Ezio roared in the lowest tone he could muster. The mercenary stayed silent, staring defiantly at Ezio, who simply stood and walked away. Cristiano appeared again, brand in hand. He sunk down to eye level.

"Wrong choice." Cristiano shoved the orange hot brand into the prisoner's neck, which caused him to erupt into a blood curling cry. He could hear the sound of his own skin popping until Cristiano removed the brand sending it clashing into the wall. He grabbed the mercenary by the collar and brought his left fist smashing into his face. The mercenary's head was sent twisting the other direction.

"Talk!" Cristiano, clearly frustrated with the silence hit him again with another punch to the opposite side of the face. Still huffing, he had to walk away before he slit the mercenary's throat himself. Ezio quickly took his place back infront.

The mercenary's face was spattered with crimson liquid that seeped from his nose and mouth. Fatigue showed on his face as well as the welt that sat on his neck. _Someone had to be made an example of._

Ezio crouched down "Ready to talk yet?" The prisoner spat into Ezio's face. Without thinking, his hand flew to unsheathe his dagger. The blade sliced through the mercenary's neck, the blood cascaded down before the blade left his skin.

Wasting no time, Ezio grabbed the chair and dragged it to the other limits of the circle. He kicked the chair over, sending the body sprawling into the center. All the mercenary's eyes widened at the sight of their fallen comrade.

Before they could react, a second mercenary's chair was knocked over, sending him tipping onto the floor, next to his dead friend. He locked eyes with the youngest of the mercenaries; looking for aid he knew would not come. He was dragged away by his feet, into the darkness leaving the last three shaken, with the rotting corpse at their feet.

Patience wore thin for Ezio. He pondered a way to get at least one of them to talk, while Cristiano continued to beat the second mercenary.

"Talk you _figgilo di puttana!_" A hammer went smashing down, shattering the arm of the mercenary.

"That was for Rosa _bastardo_." Cristiano being the oldest, cared most for Rosa. He circled the incapacitated man, as he made an attempt to rise; Cristiano sent his boot into the man's cheekbone, snapping his head to the other side. His body thudded to the ground, his head still bent in an unnatural fashion.

Cristiano returned to Ezio, wondering if he should grab another mercenary.

"They will not talk for fear of being killed by the other, so why not make this easy for one of them and _eliminate _their fears." Cristiano simply nodded in agreement and took his place behind the mercenary who sat next to the youngest one. Ezio stood behind the mercenary who was directly across from him.

Cristiano placed one hand over the eyes of the mercenary in front of him while the other hand reached for his butcher knife. He brought the knife to the man's neck and began to slowly drag it along, leaving a crimson bead behind it. He jerked the knife quickly to end his suffering, which sent blood splattering on to the young one's face. The mercenary's head slumped over in his chair, hanging limply by his hand restraints.

Just as he thought the worst was over, the youngest looked to his other comrade directly across from him. Both were awestruck from what they had just seen. Both were too petrified to say anything. _Shhhingg_ the sound of a sword unsheathing echoed into their souls. The end was near. The youngest watched as his last partner's back arched forward, until Ezio's sword pierced the front of his vest.

The mercenary pushed out a final pained grunt which was ended by his gurgling. Blood blossomed around the blade and dripped from his mouth. The sword was retracted, and his body slumped over.

Ezio laid the tip of the sword on the ground and dragged it as he took slow deliberate footsteps toward the young man. He began shaking violently, his breathing becoming uncontrollable. Ezio stopped behind him and dropped the sword. _CLANG! _Mechanisms released and the blade ejected from Ezio's sleeve. The young man squeezed his eyes shut, on the verge of crying he began whimpering softly. Ezio brought the blade to his neck. The cold steel on his neck chilled him to the bone.

Just as Ezio was unsure of his plan the man cried out. "WAIT!" _Perfect._

"I-I will tell you anything just please don't kill me!" Ezio smirked, his plan being a successful one.

"Then tell me who sent you after Rosa and why." Ezio removed the blade and stood in front of the man.

"I don't know why we were sent after her. I am low in these men's ranks; I had to go wherever they told me to."

"Then do you know who sent you?"

"I-I"

"Damn it give me a name!" Ezio raised the blade to his neck again.

"Okay! Okay!" The man almost fell backward in his chair. "It was Il Doge, Emilio Barbagio."

**Keep reading and don't forget to review. It helps me a lot. Thank you :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Catching a Rat

After he set the boy free Ezio returned to Antonio to share the news.

"I knew it was a nobleman but the Doge? It isn't enough for him to corrupt our streets but to after us like this? He must have identified Rosa when she attempted to climb the wall weeks ago. Is he trying to kill us off before we have a chance to attack him? But how could he know what we are planning?" Antonio stopped pacing and shook his head. "Ah forgive me Ezio I am just rambling aloud."

Ezio held up his hand. "No no you have a good point, I am sure he knows it is the thieves that are trying to overthrow him, but how could he have known Rosa is a large asset to us. Any nobleman would think she was just a woman, not an actual threat. But he knew somehow that she means something."

"I don't quite understand Ezio." Antonio asked looking a bit lost.

"How would the Doge know to send his goons to the marketplace that day? And how would he know what she looked like?"

"Well the Doge has many connections throughout _Venezia._" Antonio said as a matter of fact.

"Exactly. And what is to say he doesn't have a connection within the guild?"

"That is preposterous! All of my men are loyal to only me" Antonio exclaimed, appalled at the thought of a traitor.

"For the right amount of money, no man is entirely loyal. A lesson I learned the hard way."

"But who could it be? Only three people, you, me, and Cristiano knew where Rosa would be that day."

"We will have to find out who the traitor is before we can plan an attack on Carlo. And I have just the way to do it" Ezio grinned devilishly and explained the details to Antonio.

As the sun dipped below the canals, Antonio gathered all of the thieves around his wooden model of the _Basillica_.

"We will strike quickly, because if there is time for them to react we will be outnumbered within minutes. We will attack here, here, and…. here." Antonio pointed at the "gates" enthusiastically. He was making this all up as he went.

"I want all of you to get a good night's rest because we will begin preparations tomorrow morning and I want us ready to attack by sundown. Now go, I want all candles out in ten minutes. No one leaves the guild until tomorrow at sundown" Antonio dismissed his thieves except for Cristiano, Tankredo, and Ugo. Once the coast was clear he spoke very softly to the three men.

"There are three ways out of this guild, by the canal out back, the gate out front, or by the roofs. You three are my most trusted men, I want you to each take a post, and stay there tonight. There is a traitor among us gentlemen, and the only time he can escape to tell the Doge of our "plans" is tonight. I want you to make sure he never gets there. Ezio will be overlooking the guild from the roofs, if there is any movement, he will catch it. I'm counting on you boys, don't let me down."

"So we arent attacking tomorrow?" Tankredo asked

"No,Tankeredo, we are executing a traitor tomorrow. Now go, I don't want this bastard to slip away." Antonio shooed the men from his office hurriedly.

"Yes sir" the three said in unison, and were out the door.

Ezio took his post on the scaffolding Rosa had taught him to climb on, scanning the area for any movement. He spotted the three men taking posts, hidden near each exit. One by one the candle light in each window slowly went out.

The guild was pitch black, and it took a few minutes for the men's eyes to adjust to the drastic change. There wasn't a sound for hours, and fatigue began setting in. Ezio's eyelids had become heavy, he had to jostle himself occasionally to keep himself awake. After what seemed like an eternity, a door creaked softly to Ezio's left. Slow, strategically placed steps bellowed softly along the hard deck where the thief's quarters were. Any other man wouldn't have heard these steps but Ezio's trained ears honed in on their target. The sound was slowly creeping down the stairs and stopped right below Ezio in front of the scaffolding.

_What was he doing. _Ezio thought.

Then the scaffolding became lowered slightly and Ezio could feel the extra weight being added to the structure.

"Surely this _idiota _didn't think he could climb out of here without making a sound."

But the figure moved up the scaffolding with practiced ease. Ezio could feel him approaching. A pair of hands gripped the railing above him. As the figure raised itself past, Ezio launched himself forward, pounding his shoulder into the perpetrator's stomach , causing him to lose grip and begin hurdling towards the ground.

THUD!

Ezio rose unscaved as the perpetrator's body broke both of their falls. By now the three thieves had gathered around Ezio, still not able to see who the man was. Ezio dragged the disoriented body by the collar into Antonio's office. Tankredo lit a couple candles along the wall that brightened the room. All eyes went to the figure on the floor.

Ezio recognized his face but where had he seen him before? Antonio walked in and instantly gasped.

"Franco?"

It all came back to Ezio now, Franco had been the one who taught Ezio to climb the scaffolding using Rosa's techniques. No wonder he climbed so fluidly Ezio thought. This had to be some kind of a mistake.

"Why Franco?" Antonio pleaded

Franco tried to sit up but winced in pain, clutching his ribs that were no doubly broken from the fall. "I cannot get by merely on petty coins I get from stealing, and when Carlo gave me bags of coins when I would report to him I couldn't help myself. He assured me no one would ever find out. He even paid me extra to lead a group of his soldiers to Rosa." Shame took a tone in Franco's voice.

"And you would betray you brothers and sister for a few petty coin?" Antonio asked disgusted.

Franco didn't answer. He looked around the room at the men he had betrayed. Their glares pierced his heart, as these men were once family to him. Now he was a traitor in their eyes, and his fate was inescapable.

Antonio turned away, trying not to acknowledge Franco's pleading looks.

"Kill him."

**Thank you again for reading. Please review and help me get better. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Rest for the Weary

The silence of the morning was broken by the outraged chatter in the court yard. The thieves gathered around a body wrapped in white cloth at the center of the courtyard, whispering amongst each other as to what the cause of this was. Silence fell over the men as Antonio climbed atop the table the body laid on and looked out onto his thieves.

"I know most of you thought that today was the day we were finally going to attack Emilio Barbagio and take back Venezia, I am here to tell you that is not the case. Last night was part of an elaborate plan to weed out the rat amongst us. Something I had hoped would never had to be done." Antonio stepped down from the table and walked a few paces over to where four men stood.

"Thanks to you brothers Cristiano, Tankredo, Ugo, and Ezio, the rat has been exterminated." Antonio removed the sheet revealing the traitor's blood spattered face. A collective gasp was let out by the crowd.

"Franco was informing on us to the Doge, and for that he has paid the price." Antonio continued.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you"

Whispers filled the courtyard as Antonio retreated to his office. Ezio followed closely behind him. Antonio took a seat behind his mock Seta.

"With that out of the way, we can now get down to business." he motioned for Ezio to sit.

"We have tried for years to enter the _Basilica di San Marco _for years and haven't succeeded. Its walls are simply too steep for any of us to maneuver. Rosa is our most nimble climber and since she was shot in the leg the last time she attempted to enter the palace, we have to find a new way in.

"And you have tried every way possible to enter this place?"

"_Si_ it cannot be climbed and we do not have the man power to overthrow the Doge's guards. Not even with you can take on all of those guards."

"I see." Ezio rubbed his head in frustration.

"If only we could use a catapult of some sorts or wings!" Antonio said sarcastically

"I think I know where I could find a pair of those."

"Really? From where?" Antonio played along in disbelief.

"A friend of mine from _Firenze._"

"Okay let me know how that goes for you." The disbelief still lingered in Antonio's voice.

"Will do. if you don't mind me asking how is Rosa doing?"

"She hasn't been heard from this morning. Maybe you should go check on her." Antonio gave him a look of approval and Ezio was off.

He hurriedly ran up the stairs into the dormitories of the thieves. Rosa being on of the most experienced thieves had the privilege of having a room to herself in the back of the dorms as did her brothers Cristiano and Ugo. Ezio speed walked down the corridors to the only red door in the hallway.

Ezio knocked gently on the door. After no response, he turned the knob and quietly entered the room. Rosa laid in her bed at the room's center. He stood over her watching her sleep quite peacefully. He wondered how she could sleep with an injured arm. She was a strong woman for sure. Something Ezio liked most about her fiery personality.

Looking around he noticed her room was quite a mess. Her desk was covered in old purses he had cut from the belts of countless unsuspecting nobles. Only her bookshelf was tidy leaving Ezio to assume she didn't read often but when she did it meant a lot to her. He sat in the chair next to her bed careful to not let the clang of his armor to wake her, and watched her chest rise and fall as she slept deeply. Before now he hadn't noticed how tired he was from the night before and his eyelids became heavy again. He fought the urge to sleep but the rhythmic breathing in the room quickly lulled him into slumber.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rewritten to be 100000x better than before :D**

Chapter 5: Secrets in Preperation

When Rosa opened her eyes she was initially startled by the white robed figure asleep in the chair next to her. Quickly she realized it was Ezio and since he no one else was around she saw no harm in studying him. She never got a good look at him in fact. This was one of the few moments with him that he was actually sitting still, although he couldn't be comfortable sprawled out on an old chair like an old drunk, legs spread an head tilted back at what seemed to be and uncomfortable angle. From there she went on, noting that his normally well fashioned hair was greasy and in a messy ponytail. His face was dirty, the dried sweat giving it an unnatural shine. She noticed a scar above his lips and fantasized at what it would feel like when they met hers. His robes were unkempt as if he had just gotten into a brawl, and upon further investigation she saw what looked to be blood spattered along the cuffs of his under shirt. Although she was not complaining because the unkempt robes left his shirt open, exposing his carved abdomen exposed. She competed her look over and was greeted with two stunning hazel eyes staring back at her.

"Like what you see _pervertito_?" Ezio teased, still shaking the cobwebs from his system.

"Maybe" she replied embarrassed that she was caught in the act. All jokes aside she thoroughly enjoyed the flirting games they played with each other. Any other man who entered and fell asleep in her room uninvited would have been greeted with a right hook to the face.

He smiled lightly. "Can I get you anything?"

"I'm okay for now, unless you haven't finished those _stronzos_ who attacked me." Rosa noted, being reminded of the arm that was still in a cast.

"Rest assured _bella_, it is taken care of."

"If you say so." Rosa nodded her head toward the window. "What's all the fuss out there about?"

"There was a spy among us. He had been telling the Doge about all of our plans, he even lead the soldiers to attack you in the marketplace." The night before had seemed like a blur to Ezio, almost not real. He wasn't sure if it was the lack of sleep or the fact that of all people Franco would be the one to betray them that was screwing with his head.

"What?" Rosa interjected.

"Its okay its been taken care of." Ezio stood and began buttoning back up his shirt.

"Well who is that _stronzo_? Rosa perked up itching for an answer.

"I don't think you want to know." Ezio replied shaking his head.

"Are you crazy? I want to kill that _traditore _myself!" Rosa raised her fist in rage.

Ezio sighed heavily before giving an answer. He knew how close her and Franco were, but that still didn't excuse the fact of what he did, and she had a right to know." It was Franco."

Rosa lost the anger in her eyes and lowered her fist. "What? sweet little Franco? But why?"

Ezio sighed again at the questions. "Money changes people, and the Doge has a lot of money."

"What a shame. he was a skilled climber." Rosa shook her head.

"I know. But now that is taken care of we can focus on what's important. You healing up and assassinating Emilio. Unfortunately, I must leave now _bella_ I have many preparations to make before we can strike"

"_va bene_, come and see me after you finish your work?" A smirk crept across Rosa's face.

"Of course I will." Ezio smiled to himself on the inside. He must be doing something right, after all how many men did Rosa ever invite back into her room?

Ezio raised his hood over his head and was out the window before another word could slip from Rosa's lips. Ezio headed straight for the pigeon coop that laid on the bank of the canal nearest the guild.

Instead of taking to the roofs as he normally did, Ezio decided to be somewhat normal today by using the cobblestone sidewalks through the guild and out into the open alleys. Down a few blocks by the local blacksmith, Ezio scaled a ladder instead of his usual antics because he noticed there was a increase in Venetian guard patrolling today, a sign of the coming Carnevale. The coop atop the building was quiet, occupied by only one pigeon who bore a red ribbon around it's leg with a letter attached to it.

_Ezio, _

_I have arranged for the delivery of raw materials and a codex page which I cannot decipher myself to Messere Da Vinci's workshop. In return I ask that you complete a favor for me. When you attack the Seta, there is one individual in particular I would like you to dispose of. I will not release his name now, for fear of this message being intercepted by Borgia spies. I will send a more personal message when the timing is right. See Antonio for details. In the meantime, there is a murderer under the disguise of a fish merchant Giovanni Bernini who fled Firenze before he could be punished. Finish the job._

_Signed, _

_Lorenzo_

Ezio sighed at knowing he was going to have to spill even more blood today. He felt like he was becoming a monster, a tool, used only for killing. This was one of the many titles he owned that he did not want. Nonetheless, he wasted no time in heading on his mission. The sooner he finished the sooner he could get back to the guild. Also, the marketplace was only a few miles from here, a brisk walk there would give him a chance to overlook the Seta to get an idea for attack.

From the ground, the Seta looks nearly impenetrable. High flat walls and windows many meters apart made scaling the wall, even for an experienced climber like himself almost impossible. The overwhelming number of guards in and around the compound made it so it was impossible. Any access to the roofs within a mile of the Seta was cut off by archers, and the canal that surrounded the Seta was patrolled by the Venetian Navy itself. This would indeed be a challenge for Ezio, all he could do was hope Leo was as good an engineer as he was a painter.

Ezio's thoughts were interrupted by the stench of fish that marked the entrance to the marketplace. Anywhere else in the city the smell didn't affect Ezio, but here, it was just unable to be ignored. He sat on a bench just to take in what was going on around him. There was an unusual amount of people at the marketplace today, probably in preparation for Carnevale. Seeing as he wouldn't be able to see anything from here, Ezio took a ladder to the roof to get a good overview of things. Not much changed from above, there was still a steady herd of people moving throughout the marketplace, nothing drawing attention to themselves. Since _Venezia_ was surrounded by water, many citizens made their livelihoods as fishermen. Unfortunately for Ezio, seemed as if every Venetian was a fisherman today. There was a row of at least ten stands, all with rotting fish laid out over wooden planks and men shouting about their wares to passing citizens. Amidst this much confusion it wasn't going to be easy to find his man now, so Ezio decided he could come back to the marketplace later when the hustle and bustle cooled down. In the meantime, he would sit on the rooftops and observe the guard's patterns, habits, and posts. This information would be crucial to his and the thieves' attack.

By the time things in the market slowed down, the sun was beginning to set and the once bright Venetian sun was being replaced by an orange glow over the city. Ezio returned to the marketplace floor to finish the work Lorenzo di Medici had assigned him. He was looking for an escaped convict by the name of Giovanni Bernini, who used a fish merchant as a cover for his illegal trading business. There was hardly a crowd now at the marketplace so Ezio strolled casually to one of the first stalls that sold fish along the docks. The merchant looked up, his face partially covered by an eye patch that had a scar running from either side of it.

Ezio decided to make up a story in order to get the man talking. "Excuse me, but I am looking for Giovanni Bernini. That _bastardo_ sold me rotten fish and I need to have a word with him." Ezio pounded his fists on the stall for extra emphasis.

"Oye, you too?" The man's breath was laden with alcohol. "That _bastardo _owes me for the bait I lent him a few weeks ago. He's over there." The man pointed to a small looking man who was sitting on a crate at the end of the dock, whittling away at a wooden figurine.

"_Grazie Amici_." Ezio handed the man a few coins and began walking towards Giovanni.

"Giovanni Bernini!" Ezio's voice bellowed as the man dropped his figurine to look up at him. "I think you know what I am here for." The man said nothing as Ezio got closer. He hopped up off the crate and bolted for the nearest gondola.

_Why do they always run?_ Ezio asked himself as he cocked his pistol. The man had hopped into an gondola and was fighting with its owner over the ore for it. Giovanni shoved the man overboard, taking his ore in the process. All the while the assassin was aiming down his sights. Ezio fired, a small plume of smoke came from his wrist bracer after the gun cracked off a shot. The force of the bullet knocked the man backwards out of the gondola crashing into the canal. A red cloud of blood began to grow in the water beneath him, confirming his death so Ezio quickly took off in the other direction taking to the rooftops to avoid detection from the guards that were responding to the sound of his gun. His footsteps pounded the rooftops, he headed back to the guild to make good on what he had said earlier to Rosa. But first, he had to make a stop along the way.

Since Rosa's leg had recovered and she wasted no time in getting out of bed (against Antonio's wishes, God forbid she hurt herself again) to check things out around the guild. Since she couldn't go out and do the job herself because of the broken arm, she made it her business to be in all of the other thieves business. She spent her day talking to the younger thieves who were obviously smitten by her. She enjoyed torturing them as well as giving them a few tips here and there on climbing. This gave her a chance to become more familiar with the thieves as well as them with her. As the other men gathered inside for supper, she returned to her quarters as the sun went down.

Her room was a bit of a mess as usual, but she could care less because as much as she hated to admit it to herself, she was excited for Ezio to come visit her that night. What she didn't expect him to do was crawl into her window with a bagful of food and a dorky smile on his face.

"Dinner is served." Ezio said cheesily as he climbed into her room.

Rosa smiled coyly at his gesture. "This I did not expect _assasino_. But it is a pleasant surprise." Ezio smiled satisfied that Rosa wasn't in one of those notoruous ass kicking moods she was famous for.

He plopped himself on her bed and began unpacking the food. It was nothing fancy, a bit of pasta and meat sauce he had picked up on the way back from the marketplace. Meanwhile, Rosa went into her closet where she pulled out a bottle of wine.

"Why is that in you room?" Ezio questioned comically.

"I lifted it from a ship we raided a few months ago. If I had left it downstairs with the younger thieves it would have been long gone by now." A triumphant smile followed her statement.

"Ahh I see." Ezio motioned for her to come sit on the bed with him where he had portioned out the two plates.

Rosa sat and pulled the cork from the bottle and tossed it on the ground. She took a deep smell of the bottle then passed it to Ezio to taste it. He took a sip and smacked his lips as he savored the flavor. It wasn't the expensive wine he was used to drinking when he went out with gallivanting with his brother but it was a drink nonetheless.

"Well?" Rosa was no wine connoisseur but she certainly could drink with the men.

"It's good." Ezio smiled and passed Rosa the bottle who took a swig of her own. The two began eating with an awkward silence between them until Rosa noticed the black residue from the gunpowder on Ezio's sleeve.

"Busy day I see." She said motioning towards his sleeves.

"Business as usual." Ezio said casually, but killing someone was all but casual to him. In all honesty, it was becoming a pain for Ezio to kill senselessly, at the orders of the Medici. Ezio did not know exactly why he killed, or if the Medici were telling the truth, but they were his ally, and it was better left to not question them since they did so much for him.

Once they finished their food Ezio stared at Rosa in a studious, and borderline stalker manner. She looked back at him strangely before saying "What?"

"Nothing. I'm just wondering about you."

"What could be so interesting that you have to stare at me? That's unbecoming of a nobleman you know." Ezio laughed at that.

"That scar, below your ribs." Ezio brought his hand to the spot in question. Rosa gasped lightly as his hand touched her body. "Where did you get it?" Rosa pursed her lips, debating if she was going to talk or not. After a few silent moments she spoke.

"There was once another woman here in the guild." She paused and took a sip of the wine before continuing." "Her name was Alexia. She was a nimble climber, just like me. Actually she was a lot like me, only prettier." Ezio shook his head at that. " She joined the guild shortly after I did and we practically grew up together. Her, Ugo, Cristiano, and I were inseparable. When I needed someone to talk to or help with something she was always there, I practically told her everything. Though he tried to hide it, I could tell Cristiano loved her, he even alluded to marriage. But something happened." Rosa's voice shifted into a higher tone. Ezio could tell she was choking back tears. "A few months before their wedding, I saw her in the marketplace with another man. This man had a reputation however, and didn't want their relationship to go public for fear of retaliation from Cristiano so he decided he was going to handle matters himself. He took Alexia and tried to leave town with her before we could notice. Cristiano and I tried to get her back thinking she was being held against her will. But, long story short, I end up with his dagger in me, and Alexia, abandoning us. Cristiano nor I were ever the same. Trust never came easily from then on out. We stuck to each other cause that was all we ever knew, and that is why he is so protective of me even though I told that idiota plenty of times I can handle myself." Ezio smirked at typical Rosa, independent but stubborn beyond belief. The effects of abandonment her entire life from her mother to her best friend, all leaving her were beginning to reveal themselves to Ezio. Her heart had been damaged by many, and she vowed to never let that happen to herself again. This meant hiding her emotions and covering them with curses and witty sarcasm. But Ezio saw past this façade, and unknowingly to her, by making herself untouchable she only made him want her more.

It took a two weeks for her to recover back to her normal ways, but every night after Ezio completed his duties for the Medici and Antonio he would swoop in her window and bring her flowers or food to brighten her day. He would stay with her most of the night until she fell asleep. They would pass time by talking about his family and what he planned for those damned Pazzi. Rosa was a good listener once you got past the occasional foul-mouthed comments. But it felt good for Ezio to have someone to talk to for once since his mother vowed silence after his fathers death. The life of an assassin was in fact a lonely one, with no close friendships ever being formed because of his occupation. Sure he had his "outlets" in the past but those were one night relationships. He never shared his most intimate feelings with those women it was just sex. Rosa on the other hand hadn't been with another man that way for a while now, but she was that way by choice. She was sure she could have any man in the guild wrapped around her finger if she pleased, but her past prevented her from ever having feelings for anyone. The thought of what abandonment would do to her, or anyone else for that matter was unbearable. She surprised even her self with the things she shared with Ezio. They were things she never dreamed of telling another man. Only Alexia ever had the right to that knowledge, and the last person she thought she would be sharing it with was a cunning assassin that swooped into her life only a short time ago. Whenever he asked about anything after that scar, it just flowed from her lips. Years of pent up anger and sadness they released unto each other, giving them both a bond that they hadn't shared with anyone in recent memory. Still, the fear of letting this assassin in too deep was still on the forefront of Rosa's mind. She still worried to herself that he would be just like the others, abandoning her after they got what they wanted. Ezio was determined to prove her otherwise.

**I added a few twists and turns now. You have no choice but to read on and review. Mawahahaha. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Wooo did a big rewrite of the entire story hope it was all worth it. Let me know in your reviews love, like, hate. You opinion is always greatly appreciated. Enjoy :D**

Chapter 6: Closer to the Edge

Another sun drenched day was upon Venezia, a salted breeze blew threw the city. Business was picking up around the guild as Carnevale was just around the corner. Rosa had just about healed up completely but she still wore her cast, a She was leaning against the wall outside of the thieves guild polishing her most beloved possession, her rusty stiletto knife.

_"Buongiorno singora" _Ezio caught her by surprise. "Shouldn't you be in a bed where you cant hurt yourself anymore"

"Not if I have you around to save me." Rosa sheathed her dagger as Ezio came closer.

"Yeah you think so huh?" Ezio place one and against the wall, leaving the other side open for her to escape if the wanted to, but she didn't. A wicked thought crossed Rosa's mind. She was going to see just how bad this _assassino _wanted her.

"I know so." A flirtatious smile came across Rosa's face. After hesitating for a moment Ezio leaned in slowly to kiss her, and without warning she grabbed his hood and pulled him closer unexpectedly. Her lips were just out of his reach when she brushed noses with him. They stayed there for a moment, and another sly smirk came across Rosa's face. She had him right where she wanted him. Just as Ezio's hands curled around her waist, she slipped out of his embrace leaving the assassin stunned.

"Not this time" she winked and then strutted coolly away.

A smile crept across Ezio's face and he had no idea why. He just enjoyed the view as she walked toward Antonio's office. He looked over at the seated thieves who all witnessed the spectacle. He enjoyed their envious looks almost as much as he enjoyed having been so close to kissing Rosa. Quickly he reminded himself he still had business to attend to at Leonardo's house. Not wanting to deal with the crowds today, Ezio took the path of least resistance. The rooftops.

Once at Leonardo's he sprawled out on the couch in a daze until the artist emerged from his supply closet carrying an abnormally large canvas.

"Are you okay Ezio?" Leo put down his canvas and leant against the desk facing Ezio.

Ezio was snapped out of his daze. "huh? I'm fine are you okay?"

"I am surviving." Leonardo sighed exhausted. "I'm just sick of the nobles demanding my work in such a rush. I'm not some-"

"I need that machine you have been raging about to work soon. It is imperative I have it before Carnevale." Ezio interrupted clearly not hearing what Leo just said about not enjoying being rushed.

Leonardo waved off Ezio's interruption and began pacing the room. "I'm not sure if it can its only a prototype, there are still structural imperfection as well as aesthetics."

"Just give me something I can work with." Ezio knew Leonardo was a perfectionist. Most of the time that flaw was the reason why his work was desired by so many.

"Ahh yes, and does falling to a gruesome death work for you?" Leonardo retorted with sarcasm of his own.

"It might. Just please get it done as soon as possible? Time is of the essence."

"I will do my best Ezio"

"Thank you _amico_ that is all I wanted to hear" And Ezio was out the door.

"So much for good conversation" Leonardo shouted out at Ezio not intending for him to hear, and returned to his painting.

After attending to the business of the Medici, it was evening now and per his routine, Ezio swooped into Rosa's room eager to finish what they stated this morning. He decided to climb through the window today, unfortunately Rosa, who had recently been caught up in preparations for Carnevale wasn't expecting any visitors at this hour. At the sight of the shadow in her window Rosa sprung into action. She drew her stiletto and jumped at the intruder. In a flurry of robes, Ezio managed to catch Rosa and restrain the one free arm that wielded the weapon. What he didn't count on was Rosa sweeping the feet from underneath him with her leg, effectively landing on top of him using her knees to pin him to the ground.

"No need for that" Ezio said referring to the stiletto she held inches from his jugular. Rosa was startled when the intruder spoke.

"Ezio? _Cazzo!_ I almost killed you. What the hell are you doing here so late?"

Ezio put his hands up in mock surrender. "I got finished with my work and wanted to see you is that a crime?"

"It is actually." Rosa climbed off him, offering a hand to help him up as well, to which he accepted.

"Well it cant be worse than stealing" Ezio teased.

"That's not the most naughty thing I'm capable of" Rosa was obviously still in the mood for flirting, something Ezio was more than willing to oblige to.

"Oh really?" a huge smirk crawled across Ezio's face.

"Mhmm…" With a flick of her wrist Rosa sent her knife into the wall, then reached for his hood and pulled him close. Her lips brushed past his. She was teasing him again, but this time Ezio was determined to not be taken for a fool twice in a day. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her as close as anatomy allows. A sharp inhale alerted him of Rosa's surprise. Indeed, two could play at this game.

"Ezio" she whispered.

Before she could continue, he locked his lips to hers. A fire was sent alight in both of their bodies. They stayed locked together until his tongue slid across her lip begging for entry. She obliged and opened their tongues met in a tangle exploring each other thoroughly until she broke for air. He led a trail of small kisses to her neck where he kissed and sucked a mark onto. Surprised, Rosa shoved him by the shoulders off her into the wall across from her. Ezio smacked into the wall, with a bit of a confused look on his face. Rosa answered his confusion with a devious smile. Ezio loved the challenge she presented. In the heat of the moment, Rosa acted off instinct and rushed back into Ezio's arms. They locked into a kiss once again, he whirled her around to where she was now the one pinned against the wall. Their hands interlocked as he held the free one above her head against the wall. Ezio's finger's slid from her hand, tracing down her arm, caressing her chest and ending up grasping her by the waist. Rosa used her now freed and began fumbling with his shirt buttons, moving as fast as one could with one hand.. She began kissing his neck nipping at his skin as she traveled down his shirt. She swiped his hands from her waist, leaving him free to help remove his remaining armor. She removed his sash and virtually ripped his shirt off exposing his chiseled body.

Rosa frantically ran her hands over his chest feeling every scar he'd gained avenging his family. Feeling the need to take things further, Ezio lifter her up and carried her to the bed and laid her down gently as to not damage her arm any further. He dug himself into her neck once again as he tried to remove her shirt. He was finding it nearly impossible to do this because of the sling. She giggled at his futile efforts and in response he dug deeper into her neck kissing away as she continued to giggle uncontrollably.

"sttoooppp" she managed to say through the laughter

"Why? Are you not enjoying this?" Ezio thought she was just playing another game with his head.

In all honesty she was enjoying this. Way more than she wanted to, and she quickly realized where this flirting would lead. She'd be damned if she was going to let him kiss her for the first time and then bed her all the in same night. She was no common _puttana_. If he really wanted her, he was going to have to wait, no matter how much she wanted him.

"maybe" she teased buying herself time for an excuse "your going to have to wait until my arm is healed fully if you going to get any further" She knew her arm was fine, in actuality she was supposed to take the sling off yesterday but its been getting her so many favors from the thieves she saw no harm in leaving it on for an extra day.

Every fiber of Ezio wanted to fight back, but he did not want to test his limits quite yet, and even though it killed him, he sighed "_va bene_,"

"patience yields greater rewards" his father used to tell him. He had better be right.

Still, they didn't have to have sex. Ezio thought. "Since Leonardo is back I have no place to stay tonight do you think-" Ezio's attempt at a sleepover was interrupted by Rosa.

"I could ask Antonio if he had an extra room? of course _amico_!" She didn't want to have to reject him twice tonight.

Ezio's face lost a bit of color at the proposal. "not exactly what I had in mind but if you would that would be a blessing." Patience he reminded himself. Although he began to wonder if she really was attracted to him or if she was just toying with him like she did the thieves who he could tell so desperately wanted her too.

Rosa quickly buttoned her shirt up and left the room before she fell under his spell again. When she returned he was redressed, sitting in the chair with his hood over his head, casting a shadow over his face. The dim candle light in the room didn't make it any easier to see him. Rosa hated not being able to read his facial expressions. An uncomfortable tension loomed over the room now. Rosa sat on his lap and put her good arm around him.

"what's wrong _bello _?" The concern in her voice rather than sarcasm was a pleasantry not many experienced from the thief. For someone who bleeds obscenities on a daily basis, it was a start.

"Just thinking." The short answer only increased

Rosa became increasingly worried that she had upset him by rejecting his advances so abruptly.

"about..?"

Ezio sighed heavily before answering. "Life. It is moving by so quickly. I feel like yesterday I was roaming the rooftops with my brother wasting money on cheap wine and women and now I'm just a monster. " Ezio dug his face into his hands.

Not knowing exactly what to say, Rosa raised his chin so that his eyes met hers. "You are not a monster Ezio. You have every right to be angry about what happened to your family and if avenging them is what you wish to do there is no reason you should doubt yourself. We all have our sins _bello, _that we know is inescapable. But what you choose to sin for is what is most important. Family if anything is something worth killing for." And then a stroke of brilliance hit Rosa. "I think you need to take a few days to relax and gather your thoughts before you go any further and I think I have just the cure for you. Meet me after breakfast and I'll show you the real _Venezia._"

"That sounds like a date" Ezio teased.

"Maybe if you're lucky."

Rosa let him pull her closer once again and kiss her lips lightly.

"Antonio said you could stay in Cristiano's old room next door. Its not much but its a bed and should do for now."

"_Grazie singora_ then I guess I will take my leave."

"Good because you are going to need your strength tomorrow" Rosa winked and stood up allowing Ezio to make his way to the door.

He stopped abruptly and turned to face Rosa. "I almost forgot."

He took her chin by two fingers and gently guided her to his lips.

"Now I can leave"

"_Idiota_" Rosa murmured through her smile.

Ezio left grinning from ear to ear. He could feel her eyes on him as he walked away. His room was only a few feet away from Rosa's; something that might come in handy later. The room was quite small and smelled of old books. It reminded him of the office his father spent countless hours in. There were a few holes in the wall, someone had a temper apparently. The dim candle light showed a small bed, a desk and a chair that looks like it would break under Ezio's weight. He blew out the candle and laid a dagger underneath his pillow.

As he began to settle in his mind drifted back to Rosa. She was a tough one to crack. A true challenge to his lady-charming abilities, if you could call her a proper lady. Expletive laden statements and fighting weren't exactly proper lady etiquette. But that only made his attraction to her even stranger, and stronger if anything.

He wondered what tomorrow would bring, but that was fruitless. Rosa was unpredictable in her ways. All he knew was he would need every second of sleep cause he had if he was going to keep up with her.

**Another chapter down. I constantly try to update these stories so if reviewing really helps me out. So if you would be so kind as to write a few words I would be grateful to you :D I always want to get better but I cant do that without you opinions. Next chapter is to be up and rolling soon !**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again :D This was my favorite chapter so far so I hope you love it as much as I do. **

Chapter 7: The Adventure

Ezio rose before the sun did the next day. He stepped out onto the balcony and gazed upon the rising sun over the canals of _Venezia_. All he could think of were the words of warning he was given last night. Excited and scared at the same time, he could only speculate what Rosa had in store for him today.

Upon getting dressed, Ezio noticed he was missing his sash and weaponry. Remembering he had been stripped of them in Rosas room last night, he absent mindedly began towards her room. He poked his head out the door to see if anyone was awake yet, but the corridors were empty so he proceeded silently to her room. The door was locked, so he paced back onto his balcony. With practiced ease, he maneuvered from his balcony over to hers, and through the open window. He saw his effects folded neatly in the chair next to her bed. As he lifted his armor and headed towards the window, a mouse scampered across the floor across Ezio's feet. Startled, Ezio lost his balance and his armor was sent clashing into the wooden floors.

CLANG!

Ezio sighed, mentally cursing himself as he leant down to retrieve his things. After collecting his things, he was met by a pair of weary eyes, staring back at him from the bed.

The sun blinded Rosa, who groaned as she squint to find the source of commotion.

"Ezio?"

Ezio was stunned at the sound of her words."_Mi dispace bella_, I did not mean to wake you."

"I guess you couldn't wait to see me eh?" Rosa replied still wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Can you blame me? You are simply irresistible" Ezio charmed as usual.

"Oh shut up" Rosa said, she slipped out of bed and into her usual slacks and cap.

"I don't think you can handle what I have got in store for you today" Ezio could tell from the tone of her voice, this was another one of Rosa's challenges.

"I think the question is, can you handle me?" Ezio turned his back to finish dressing and before he knew it Rosa was already out the window and headed toward the scaffolding in the courtyard. With a surprised gasp, Ezio finished strapping his wristblade and took off.

"falling behind already?" Rosa shouted from the rooftop. With a few leaps and bounds, Ezio was on her heels. He was within arms reach of her when she suddenly ducked into one of the tents on the rooftop. Between gasping for air, Ezio managed to ask "now what?"

"I don't know if we should continue _assasino,_ you look quite winded already" Rosa teased.

"Anything you can do, I can do" Ezio retorted

"Is that so?" Rosa leapt out of the tent and began sprinting across the roof tops. She was headed towards an archer posted above the market. _What was she thinking? _In one fluid movement, Rosa slid and took out the archers legs and snatched his coin purse. He was stunned and on his back, Rosa took his bow and arrows and began sprinting towards Ezio.

"Get back here!" the guard shouted as he began to give chase.

Ezio followed closely behind Rosa who was laughing hysterically. After the rounded a few corners, they realized that the archer had given up a long time ago. They stumbled on to a beam that overlooked the canal still giggling. Rosa began inspecting her new toy closely.

"What are you going to use that for?" Ezio gave the bow a once over himself.

"You will see." Rosa tightened the string on the bow, and then nudged Ezio to look over to his right. The silhouettes of two men were cast on the adjacent wall. The first man was small, and not very built with a frilly hat. The other was of regular size and build, but he carried a sword. They kept their voices low, and a letter and coin were exchanged. After the armed man left, Rosa and Ezio crept closer to investigate. The small man was a Borgia messenger, a reliable source of information for the thieves, although they weren't always known to give it up easily. A shingle came loose under Ezio's foot, causing the messenger to whirl around in surprise. He spotted Ezio and Rosa's shadows and quickly took off. Rosa stayed in place while Ezio began after him.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Nope, this one is all yours." Rosa said slyly as she continued to fiddle with the bow.

Ezio stayed chasing the messenger while Rosa took aim down the sights. She pulled the arrow back as tight as possible, and then let the arrow fly. The arrow sailed through the sky and pierced the cape of the messenger, effectively nailing him to the wall. Ezio arrived at the messenger, who was frantically struggling to free his cape. Rosa scampered over with a sly grin on her face.

"I could have caught him myself."

"Of course you could have" Rosa said patting Ezio on the chest mockingly as she made her way to the messenger.

"w-w-w-w what do you want?" The messenger stammered, clearly shook up from the ordeal.

"What did the letter you handed off say?" Rosa asked with her blade drawn at his jugular.

"Nothing important, something about some fruit arriving in _Venezia_ during Carnevale"

"An apple?" Ezio interjected.

"_Si_, it is to be delivered to the Doge's personally by the Vespucci family as a gift of some sorts."

Ezio's head perked up at the sound of the Vespucci family. Which did not go unnoticed however by Rosa.

"When?" Ezio probed further trying to mask the urgency in his voice.

"I do not know, just that the boat arrives the night Carnevale begins and that the Vespucci's are to stay in the company of the Doge in the _palazzo _for the duration of their stay."

Rosa had heard enough. "Thank you _amico, _for your helpfulness" she raised her blade to the messenger's lips "as well as your silence" The messenger simply nodded nervously and took off as soon as Rosa lowered her blade.

"Well that was interesting" Rosa said cursing herself, of all the messengers they had to stop this one.

"I'll say, now I know where the apple is and" Rosa placed her hand over his mouth and motioned towards the guards that were slowly approaching.

Ezio pulled her hand off him. "Should we kill them?"

"No, I think we can have a little more fun today" Rosa noticed the sun setting and pulled a shingle from the roof and chucked it at the head of one of the guards, then took off in the other direction. This time Ezio took the lead, taking the chase up the tallest building he could find. The guards shouted after them, trucking along the rooftops on their heels. After a few short jumps the pair reached the roof as well as a grim discovery; there was nowhere left to run.

"_Cazzo _what now genius?" Rosa said with a bit of concern. Ezio inched towards a beam that hung over the side.

"Oh, hell no if you think for one second that I would ever do something so foolish." Ezio simply offered his hand out towards Rosa.

"Trust me." Ezio uttered, backing slowly towards the edge of the beam. Rosa looked around for any alternatives. "_Merda _Ezio!" Rosa reluctantly took Ezio's hand. He pulled her close and encompassed her entire body in his arms. The sense of safety that Ezio's body provided overtook Rosa's fear. That very sense of safety has been familiar to Rosa ever since the day she met Ezio. Normally being in the arms of a stranger when your life depended on it would cause an unsettling feeling for anyone, but not in Ezio's arms. The same sense of safety was the one she yearned for at night when she was alone in bed. That sense was now the one guiding her over a ledge over three stories above ground.

"Trust me" Ezio whispered into her ear. Rosa buried her face into his robes and clung to his body for dear life. Ezio leapt from the beam just as the guards were pulling themselves to the top of the building. Ezio let himself fall backwards off the beam, his arms wrapped firmly around Rosa. After a short sensation of weightlessness, the pair landed softly in a wagon of hay. Even though they had landed, Rosa still clung to Ezio.

"See, nothing to worry about" Ezio laughed mockingly at her.. Rosa's head perked up to see if they were really on the ground still alive.

She detached herself and rolled off to the side of Ezio. "Don't ever do that to me again" Rosa threatened humorously hitting him across the chest playfully. Ezio rolled over pinning her below him "Never again" He kissed her passionately and fell back over to her side.

"Well it wasn't that bad" Rosa cuddled closer to Ezio to keep herself warm.

Laying her head on his chest, she could faintly hear his heartbeat through his robes.

"So this is a typical day in the life of a thief?" Ezio teased.

"Somewhat. If you hadn't been slowing me down all day I could have snatched a couple more purses today."

"The night is still young _bambina_." Ezio added, making a challenge of his own.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Rosa eagerly hopped out of the wagon. She noticed their chase ended up in one of the poorer districts of Venezia. Rosa made it a point to not steal from those less fortunate, so the two took off toward Basilica Di San Marco.

Effortlessly the pair glided along the rooftops in a makeshift footrace to the square. Ezio admired how gracefully she moved. He hadn't met many people, let alone a woman, who could keep up with his pace. He remembered all the scars that littered her body, the price for such grace and eloquence. Before almost getting lost in his thoughts, Rosa stopped at the edge of the present rooftop and surveyed the area.

"Seems as if all of Venezia is out tonight" Rosa remarked, the square in front of the Basilica was filled with people. The two searched for the source of the gathering when they noticed by the docks a rather plump man shouting at the crowd. The pair dismounted from the rooftops, deciding it would be less conspicuous to walk among the large crowd.

The large man stood atop shipment crates, dressed in noble's attire, though it seemed to be bursting at the seam. "I have the finest linens brought directly to you from Spain." Sailors brought forth a large crate and bust it open. The large man reached in and pulled out a purple and gold garment. Ezio and Rosa looked puzzled at each other. The amount of sparking sequence was enough to make the pair vomit, but the crowd let out a roar of approval towards the man. "This lovely garment is on sale at five thousand florins." Rosa's eyebrows rose at the outrageous price of something that was on "sale". She knew now this particular crowd's pockets would be lined with coins.

"Do all nobles spend this much money on such extravagant clothing?" Rosa said to herself with a disgusted tone. Ezio lowered his head, knowing he had treasured clothes double that price when he lived back in Firenze.

The sale continued to go on, the large man showcasing headdresses and masks specifically for Carnevale. Having heard enough, Rosa scanned the crowd for her next victim. She targeted a man, almost twice her size, but dumb enough to leave his bulky coin purse dangling for the taking. Ezio watched with his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to defend Rosa incase anything went wrong. She slid through the crowd, gently pushing those who were bidding aside. When she was wining arm's length, Rosa slid out her small stiletto. The small profile of the dagger made it almost unnoticeable. The sharpened blade slid through the tie that bound the purse to his belt with little resistance and the bag fell silently into her hand. All the commotion of the sale kept the man occupied as Rosa made her way out of the crowd.

"Like taking from a baby." Rosa grinned proudly showing her winnings to Ezio.

"Very nicely done. Now let me show you how it is done." Ezio turned and made his way back into the crowd. He chose a woman, who was also rather plump, but wore more makeup than a carnival performer. As he walked past, Ezio drew his hidden blade and attempted to sever the rope that bound the woman's purse to her belt. It did not give way easily, which caused there to be a tug at the woman's waistline. The purse fell into Ezio's hand just as the woman turned to confront him. She eyed him up and down, not noticing her coin purse that was hidden behind Ezio's back.

"I'm too good for you low life" the large woman scoffed and turned back to her auction. Ezio let out a sigh of relief and hurried back to Rosa.

"Not as easy as you thought eh?" Rosa said, nodding towards the purse in Ezio's hand.

"You may be a better thief than me, but there is no way you are a better climber." Ezio pointed towards the Campanile di San Marco "first to the top?" Ezio asked challengingly

"You're on. "Rosa accepted, and took off running. Ezio followed, hitting the bricks hard. Using protruding bricks and windowsills as footholds, Ezio pulled himself upward easily. As he moved farther up, the footholds became farther and farther apart. Thinking quickly, he glanced over at Rosa to check her progress. She was a few meters ahead, when he suddenly remembered the jump-grab she had taught him. Putting it to full use, Ezio was quickly on her heels. He could hear curses escaping from her mouth as he glided past her. It was a matter of seconds before he reached the top but when he did Rosa wasn't far behind. He offered his hand to help her up, but being typical Rosa, she finished the climb on her own.

"Better luck next time _piccola_." Ezio teased, smiling charmingly. Rosa could do nothing but smile back, and hit him playfully on the chest. "indeed." Ezio sat facing the canal with his back against the pillar. He pulled Rosa by her hips into his lap.

"You know, I could use more days like this one" Ezio took a long exhausted sigh

"Stick around for a while and you might have some." Rosa rearranged herself into a more comfortable position in his lap.

"I would love to, but I must go wherever it is that the Apple and the Borgia are." Rosa took a sigh of her own.

"I understand you must avenge your family but chasing the Borgia has only brought you pain and suffering, that is my job." Rosa smiled coyly. "I don't like competition."

"No one can match up to you _bella_." Ezio rested his head on her shoulder. "But without the Borgia, I would have never ended up in this beautiful city. Nor would I have found such a beautiful woman." Rosa felt the blood rushing to her face. She turned to kiss Ezio on the cheek but it evolved into a much deeper passionate one. She snuggled closer, and Ezio only held her tighter. He opened his outer robe an enclosed her in it. After he tied it shut, he pulled his own arms inside the robe and wrapped them around her adding an extra layer of warmth. The heat between the two was enough to keep them warm through the coldest costal winds _Venezia_ could muster.

They eventually fell asleep atop the tower, both being worn out from the day's adventure. Ezio could sleep peacefully knowing the whereabouts of the apple as well as other trivial matters. Rosa on the other hand still was cautious. The wall around her heart hadn't been completely demolished by the assassin just yet. She would have been lying if she said she wasn't jealous of the unnatural happiness only the name Cristina could bring. She also couldn't deny these new feelings that were unknown to her before this assassin came along. Rosa let herself drift to sleep, placing her worries to the rear, and letting herself enjoy the time with Ezio, because with him, she never knew when it would be the last.

**Well there it is. Hope it made you smile :D or gag from all the damn cuteness. Anyways remember to review, it only make my writing better as well as get posted faster :D **


	8. Chapter 8

**Here we are again :D I have been hoarding the story all to myself trying to make it as best as possible. Selfish right? Just kidding but I hope you enjoy this story so far. I am excited for what is next :D.**

Chapter 8: Matters of the Heart

With each passing day after their adventure, Ezio and Rosa grew closer and closer. Each day also brought closer Carnevale, the prime celebration in _Venezia_. The messenger had told the two of the apple, which was to be brought in by the Vespucci's the night Carneval began. Ezio had a past with Cristiana Vespucci, a past he had regrettably shared with Rosa. She became more and more uneasy as Carnevale drew closer. She tried her best to hide the fear, but the thought of abandonment again was impossible to hide. Ezio tried to resolve those fears with intimacy (it was the only way he knew how) but Rosa wasn't responding to his affections, leaving him in the dark, only to fear the worst.

The thieves guild was readying themselves for the festivities as well. This was the time they "earned" the most money. They all had to be in top form to take advantage of drunken nobles. With the thieves away and Antonio planning his attack on the Doge, Ezio was left alone to think. He decided to visit one of the men he trusted most, Leonardo da Vinci.

"_Amico! _It has been too long." Leo greeted Ezio with a warm embrace. He hadn't visited his friend in a while, but he saw nothing had changed since his last visit. His scruffy beard was neatly kept as usual although his workshop was still a mess. Unfinished paintings and books littered the tables, and many contraptions laid in pieces here and there.

" Much too long. How have you been?"

" You will be pleased to know I have been doing a lot of work lately, for the Doge." Leo said

"Didn't I tell you he was the one who-"

"yes yes I know, but these are tough times my friend and my work needs funding. But you would be pleased to know I have learned the whereabouts of your apple as well as significant figures from your past." Leo finished with a grin on his face.

"The apple-"

"is to be brought to the Doge by the Vespucci family the night of Carnevale?" Ezio interrupted.

"yes, how did you know?"

"Rosa and I had a um, run-in with a Borgia messenger."

"oh I see." Leo lead Ezio into the back room where his largest contraption stood.

"it is ready" Leo stood back and presented his flying machine to Ezio. The wooden frame was light, and its wings span was twice Ezio's length.

"you can use this to glide over venezia so long as you have a source of heat that can supply enough warm air beneath you to sustain flight. Ezio circled the machine, dragging his fingertips along, admiring his friend's tireless work."

"It is a masterpiece my friend, you have outdone yourself once again." Leo blushed at the compliment.

"It is available whenever you need it, I will have it delivered to the guild as soon as I finish a few aesthetic imperfections."

"_Grazie_ again _amico_, take this" Ezio handed Leo a generous coin purse.

"no need for payment" Ezio pushed the bag further into Leo's hands.

"I insist, you have no idea how much you have helped me over the years, it is long overdue."

"Thank you. But what will become of you and the Vespucci?" Leo asked, knowing this would be a sensitive topic, but he just had to know.

"I have decided I am going to visit the Cristina, but not as Ezio. I need to speak with her."

"You do know she is married _si_?"

"I do. And I will use that to my advantage."

"and what of Rosa?" a more somber tone took Leo's voice, One of concern and empathy for the thief.

"it is not my intention to hurt her. That is farthest from my mind."

"Yet you still are willing to gallivant around with your ex?"

"I will deal with the matter as the time comes." Ezio said sternly.

"Tread with caution amico, hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn. No one knows that better than you"

"I know, the best decisions are those made under the most pressure. Hopefully I can make the right one."

"I know you will." Leo reassured and Ezio let himself to the window and leapt out.

Hitting the roofs of Venezia running, Ezio was headed back to the guild to try once again to ease things with Rosa. It was almost nightfall, the sun was resting on the banks of the canal. By the time Ezio arrived at the guild all the thieves retired to their quarters exhausted from the day's training. He walked up the stairs today, deciding an uninvited entrance by window would be welcomed by right hook to the face. He stopped and faced the door, taking a long pause before knocking gently. Rosa came to the door not expecting to see Ezio standing there.

"What's this? Ezio Auditore using a door?" Rosa said teasingly. She motioned for him to come inside.

"We need to talk _bella_." Ezio said sternly.

"Right to the point I see?" Rosa leaned back on her desk allowing Ezio to sit in the chair.

"Rosa, I don't want you to think that Carnevale is going to change things between us, or break us apart." Rosa let out a frustrated sigh. This was exactly she did not want to talk about. All the emotion she welled up over the last few days seemed to explode at the mention Carnevale. "isn't it? I know how you felt about Cristina, the way your eyes lit up when you heard she was coming to _Venezia_. I may not be some aristocratic _puttana_, but I am not stupid." Rosa turned her back to the assassin and blindly stared out the window.

"It…"Ezio lowered his head in defeat. "was never my intention to hurt you." His tone had noticeably lowered into a somber apologetic one. Rosa could sense his sincerity but she still stood at the window staring into the canals. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He was surprised she did not resist when he laid his head on her shoulder. His very breath on her neck sent chills down her spine. "She means nothing to me now. I just need information of the whereabouts of the apple from her and I am done."

"and if you happen to have to grope your way into some answers then I am sure you would be happy to oblige her" Rosa added with a cutting tone.

The words stuck deep within Ezio. "_Bella_ you must trust me. I am doing this to get answers. I need to find closure as well as the apple" Rosa turned around and draped her arms over his neck. "and what if these answers you seek take you away from me." Ezio heard tears in her voice, only making his heart drop farther in his chest. "I do not think I could handle abandonment again, especially not from you."

"trust me." Ezio whispered his two most infamous words to her before kissing her and leaving for the night. Rosa was left with more suspicions than answers, but in fact that all she could do was trust him. No matter how hard it was.

**Hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I don't think I have thanked you yet for reading but here we are 8 chapters later and well THANK YOU for taking the time to read my story. Remember to review please. The more reviews I get the quicker the next chapter will come. Have a good one :D **


	9. Chapter 9

**The entire time I was writing this I was listening an amazing band called Eyes set to Kill. I strongly suggest you check em out because they are fantastic. Anyways. I hope your ready for this. :D**

After trying to settle the dust with Rosa, Ezio took off towards the marketplace. He peered over the ledge into the alleyway where Cristina was supposed to be. The mask he acquired from some noble kept slipping over his nose and was starting to become a nuisance. If it weren't for the fact that he was going to this meeting as Manfredo, Cristina's husband, he wouldn't be wearing this stupid thing. Thoughts began to swirl in his head, it was almost 8 and his note told her to be here at 7:45.

Just as he was losing hope, a womanly figure dressed in the finest party dress strolled through the alley. Ezio quietly dropped down on the opposite end of the alley and began walking towards the figure.

"Cristina?" Ezio whispered to the figure.

"Manfredo, when did you get so romantic?" A bit shocked at the response, Ezio had to remind himself that he wasn't Ezio anymore.

He cleared his throat. "I thought I would surprise you _bambina_" As she got closer, the sweet perfume the noblewoman wore brought back countless memories Ezio had with her. Slowly, all of the feelings Ezio once had for her began to seep into his mind. The blood in his veins felt as if they were on fire, his hands gravitated towards her hips. Before Ezio knew it Cristina was leaning in for a kiss. Before he could react, her lips were on his and she was pulling him closer and deeper into the kiss. He quickly became lost in the arms of his ex-lover, locked in the lips he had been yearning to reunite with for years. Quickly he reminded himself this was a life or death situation for her. He broke the kiss and gently but assertively pushed Cristina against the wall.

"a little rougher than usual _caro mio_?" The mask had fallen off of Ezio's face during the kiss so he placed his face close to her neck so she could not identify him.

"Listen to me, you cannot stay at the _palazzo _much longer. It is not safe." Ezio spoke so quickly he forgot to mask his voice. Cristina looked confused for a moment then pulled the man off of her. She took a long look in the darkness and then realized what was going on.

"Ezio? What the hell are you doing here!" Ezio quickly covered her mouth with his hand. Her eyebrows lowered in anger.

"There is no time for explanations, you cannot stay in the _palazzo_ with the Doge much longer it is not safe for you. There is going to be an attack on the Doge the night of Carnevale. You must not be anywhere near Venezia when it happens." He warned her but her anger seemed to push his words in one ear and out the other.

"You leave me all alone in Firenze, lost and without love and then years later you come telling me what to do? And on top of that kissing me and pretending to be my husband? Do not ever speak to me again Ezio Auditore I never want to see you again." Cristiana slapped Ezio across the face defiantly and marched off. It all happened to quickly for him to react. Ezio contemplated chasing after her but knowing Cristina, the scene she would cause would do more harm than good. Now all he could do is hope that she or her family was inside the _palazzo_ when the thieves attacked.

Ezio stood in the alleyway with his shoulders slumped over and a defeated look overtaking his face. _At least I tried. _His mind raced back to the kiss. The soft lips he had become very familiar with back in _Firenze _hadn't lost their fire. Hell, the very scent of Cristina used to make his heart race faster. A few months ago he would give anything to redo it all and have a second chance with her, to have a normal life. That was now just a distant dream, he now had other responsibilities that would never permit a life that would accommodate a woman with as many needs as Cristina. Keeping her happy in itself was a full time chore.

Ezio threw off what remained of the mask and began walking towards the end of the alleyway. Out of the corner of his eye, Ezio saw a lean figure dashing away along the rooftops. _It couldn't be._ He tried to talk himself out of the thought that Rosa could have followed him here and saw everything. More importantly had saw Cristiana kiss him. That in itself would be a death sentence from Rosa.

He immediately took off after the figure. Ezio had to use a lot of speed to even catch a glimpse of the person ahead of him. Who ever it was navigated the rooftops like a seasoned pro, bounding gracefully from roof tops onto tight ropes only a thief of the highest ability could maneuver. As he steadily got closer he could see the faint silhouette of a lean frame, short hair bouncing uncontrollably. _That couldn't be her, she always wears her-_ Ezio's feet were pulled from underneath him. He crashed into the shingles on the roof, breaking many in the process. From underneath him he pulled out a familiar green cap his foot slipped on. Mentally cursing himself for his stupidity, all Ezio's worst fears were that much closer to becoming realized. Tucking the hat away in his robes, finished his run to the guild, not as fast as he normally would as he knew hell awaited him.

As soon as he reached Rosa's window, her shutters were slammed shut. Ezio hung along the edge of the window listening intently for a moment. He heard the faint whimpers coming from the room. Ezio took a deep breath before slowly opening the shutters. A book came flying through the window, and thanks to his reflexes Ezio avoided the first one. Unfortunately the second one he didn't see coming struck his head violently. He hopped into the room where books were still being chucked at him. He held his arms up to try and protect his face from the flying objects.

"Get the fuck out!" Rosa shouted through her tears. Ezio persisted further dodging books and whatever else she could manage to throw at him. After being battered by books and half-filled coin purses he reached Rosa and grabbed by her arms and pinned them against the wall. She still kicked wildly until he pinned those in place with his own legs. Both were breathing heavily, but Rosa still squirmed erratically in a futile attempt to break free of Ezio's grasp.

"Listen to me!" Ezio shouted. Rosa stopped moving. Her muscles released the tension in her body, worn from the struggle. The look in her eyes though, could kill.

"What you saw was not what you think." Ezio unpinned her arms and legs and let them fall to her side. He still held his arms up on the wall to prevent her from escaping. "Cristina thought I was her husband and she kissed me! My mask fell off so I had to hide my face from her. I tried to warn her to leave so she wouldn't get hurt but all she did was slap me." Rosa's breath began slowing. Ezio lifted her chin to bring her eyes back to his. "Rosa, I don't have feelings for Cristiana. I did once, and me wanting to see her was just me trying to hold on to a piece of the old life I had. It is a life I no longer have, nor want. I want you. My life is here, now, with you. I don't know what this feeling is but its deep inside of me. The only way to explain it would be like a force pushing me right onto the edge of a ledge twenty stories off the ground." Rosa's angry face soon became one of confusion. If she made him feel like jumping off a ledge then clearly she was doing something wrong. Ezio shook his head, this wasn't coming out as he had planned, so he decided to shut off his mind and let his heart do the talking. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I feel like I have been on this ledge before, but never this close to the edge. Most of the time I talk myself out of getting any closer and I turn away. But not with you. With you, I actually want to jump because that is what real love is." Rosa's eyes widened at the sound of the "L" word. Ezio continued. "Love, is a leap of faith. Its jumping off the highest building you can imagine, hoping that your partner will be there at the bottom to catch you as you fall. In the end it can be pure bliss in the arms of the one you love, or you could end up crashing into the ground, crushed emotionally from the trauma of the relationship. I'm just as scared as you are, but I am here. Right now, jumping. Not even jumping, I am way past that. I'm already falling for you Rosa. Ezio freed his hands of hers and wrapped them around her waist. He brought his head to her shoulder and whispered "ti amo ."

Rosa was dumbstruck at the sound of those two words. Elation and confusion overwhelmed her body. After all she had just seen she did not know if she could trust this man. But her feelings for him were undeniable. It was all too much to pallet in one sitting. The words she so desperately wanted to say back to him not coming out of her mouth.

"Ezio I…I"

All her past fears of abandonment left her body with his two simple words. A burden lifted off her shoulders, now that she knew he felt that way she could allow herself to open up and embrace love for the first time in ages. But still something held her back, the words just wouldn't leave her lips.

Ezio started to realize what was happening but he kept himself wrapped around her. The tears in her eyes could no longer hold themselves in. She closed her eyes as they began streaming down her face. Rosa's voice was muffled by his robes, but what she said still sent shockwaves through the both of them. "_Mi dispace…"_

Rosa broke the embrace and ran out the door leaving Ezio by his lonesome. In all his years of womanizing, he never once felt like this. Hell, he never once remembers being rejected. The one time he truly became honest with himself, and lets his emotions show, this is what he got. A punishment he undoubtedly dished out before to countless other women, but one he never received. Heartbreak. He had been falling hard and now it seems as if he was just falling to his death. A slither of liquid escaped his eye, to which he let stream down his face. A million thoughts ran through his head as to what just happened. Was he dreaming? This couldn't be real, he was Ezio Auditore, he didn't get rejected. Yet, the thief who had stolen his heart, was running out the door with it, leaving him with nothing in exchange.

Italian Translations:

Mi dispace- I'm sorry

Bella-beautiful

Amico-my friend

Ti amo- I love you

**Another one down. I really am trying to update as fast as possible but I want to get this story just right for you guys. Hopefully I will have it done by spring break but Id like to thank those of you who are sticking with the story and reviewing. You keep me writing at these late hours of the night haha. If I can get enough feedback ill post the next chapter by Wednesday I promise so don't forget to tell me how you fell love/hate whatever it helps out a lot. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Confidants **

The lights of the city were a constant blur, the pounding of Rosa's heart drowned out all the sound as she flew across the rooftops of Venezia. A barrage of thoughts were running through her mind along with her. _Did that really happen? What am I doing?_ Still, ignoring her persisting thoughts, she pressed on running until her legs strained for relief.

Somehow she ended up in 's square, a ghost town now compared to earlier in the day. Rosa began walking towards the docks when two burly men who had just been offloading crates from a ship came up to her in a panic.

"Miss are you alright?" Until then, Rosa hadn't noticed how heavily she was panting or how unkempt she may have looked. Without her hat, her hair looked as if it were a bird's nest, and her clothes weren't exactly in the best of shape. These men must have thought she was raped or lost. Maybe even both since it was such an oddity to see anyone, especially a woman out this late in the night.

"I'm fine, mind your own damn business _stronzo_." Rosa muttered as she walked through the men who were trying to aid her. The men grunted and waved her off before returning back to work on the ship.

Rosa spotted an empty gondola and decided to hop in as if it were her own. For a second, she contemplated rowing back to the guild to try and amend things with Ezio before the it could get any worse but she decided the damage was done and her pride kept her from going back to make another apology to him. Instead she rowed out to the San Rialto bridge. There, next to the bridge was a warehouse that was abandoned before it was finished. It became a frequent play spot for her, Cristiano and Alexia when they were younger. It was still in good standings from what she could see, and by that it meant it hadn't fallen apart and into the canal just yet.

The gondola creaked as Rosa rowed into the half-built tunnel entrance of the warehouse, much like the one in the guild. The moonlight beamed in through the unfinished holes in the ceiling, illuminating most of the small space she used to play in. On the walls she could see the drawings she an Cristiano would carve into the wall using stones, knives or just about whatever they could find that had a sharp edge to it. She ran her fingers along the carvings, smiling lightly as she reminisced back to a time in life where the only trivial matter was what game to play that would pass the time. As she rowed farther in, she noticed the once wooden floors had caved in, leaving only the beams that held up the remainder of the building, sticking out of the water. There was just enough space for her to maneuver the gondola into the space and tie it so it wouldn't move.

Rosa laid down in the gondola and stared up at the moon and the stars. No matter where she was in Venezia at night after all these years, the stars never seemed to move. She pondered that lightly until a dark figure that was scaling the rickety roof obstructed her view of the moon. Her hand instantly flew to the dagger on her hip, until she heard the man's voice.

"Some things never change eh?" Cristiano laughed as he made his way down through the maze of beams above. He landed in the boat softly careful to not flip it over, as he was infamous for overturning gondolas when he was younger.

"You know Rosa, you were always too predictable." Cristiano teased. "That's why I could always find your hiding spots when we were younger because you never changed them!" A smile crept across Rosa's face again.

"Those were the days." She sighed heavily. "How did you know I wasn't at the guild?"

Cristiano laughed again. "You forget my room is only next door to yours _piccola_, it wasn't very hard to figure out something was wrong."

Rosa covered her mouth with her hand. "I did not even think about that. _Cristo_ all of Venezia must have hear Ezio and my little fight."

"Little? Come on sister, we both know that wasn't some little fight. What happened?" Genuine concern was in Cristiano's voice. Out of everyone in the guild these two were by far the closest.

"I followed Ezio to his meeting with Cristina, I saw him kiss her or her kiss him, I'm not really sure but after that-"

"He did what? That _stronzo_ I knew he was nothing but trouble. Wait till I get my hands on him." Cristiano was beginning to stand when Rosa jerked him back into his seat.

"_Idiota! _He said he loved me." Cristiano's head snapped back towards Rosa.

"He did? But after that whole thing with Cristina" Cristiano's voice trailed off.

"I know, I was thinking the same thing, but something I cant explain, deep down, made me want to believe him." Rosa looked down at her hands trying to make sense of what she was even saying herself.

"Well do you love him?" Cristiano asked cautiously , he knew how sensitive Rosa could get and he was not looking to get a black eye tonight.

She took a short pause before answering. "I think I do, but I messed things up badly. I left him without saying anything back except I'm sorry. I tried to look at him to see what his face said but it was already shrouded by his hood so I'm not sure if he is angry with me or what." Rosa put her face in her hands. "I don't know what to do." Tears once again were escaping out of her eyes despite her best efforts to keep them in. Cristiano put his hand on her back and rubbed it reassuringly.

" It seems to me some one may have more than a crush on their hands this time eh?" He snickered lightly. " Maybe even love if that _idiota _is lucky. But love is one tricky concept. Believe me. It makes even the sanest man do the most ridiculous things. And if Ezio loves you the way he claims to, then this wont matter at all. What will matter is you going back and telling him what you really feel."

"I don't fall in love." Rosa growled back. "And even if I did, I couldn't bring myself to do anything about it right now. I wouldn't even know what to say or do."

"Well just sleep on it, and try again in the morning."

"But Carnevale is tomorrow, as well as our attack, it will only complicate things. It would be best to wait until after."

Cristiano snickered at her feeble attempts to get out of the situation. " It will not just fall into your lap _bella_ your going to have to tell him sooner or later. Sooner being better, so that the two of you will have a clear head going into the fight. Lord knows we are going to need all the strength we can get to defeat the Doge."

Again Rosa saw the logic in Cristiano's reasoning but, that didn't mean she was going to admit it to him.

"I will have to sleep on it. It is getting late I think you should return home my brother."

"Indeed. We have a big day tomorrow." Cristiano stood an began scaling the beams again.

"One more thing. Don't tell anyone about this whole night fiasco I have a reputation. Si?"

Cristiano snickered lightly again "whatever you say _piccola_" and made his way out of the warehouse.

Rosa laid down in the gondola. She folded her arms behind her head and stared up at he moon, contemplating her next move. For her, relationships were few and far between. Never before had she felt such a need for affection or attachment that could only come from one man. Admittedly, she was restrained in her own affections in the past, but that was for her own protection. Now that she knew how Ezio felt, she could express her emotions freely, or so she thought. She cursed herself for what she had done earlier that night, but all she could do now was hope she could reconcile things with Ezio before it got any worse. Rosa closed her eyes and let the gentle swaying of the boat nod her off into sleep.

After Rosa left, Ezio's legs slowly gave out as he slid down against the wall. Once seated he sat for a moment completely dumbfounded at what just happened. Thoughts were swirling madly in his head. He slid his hand in his pocket and pulled out Rosa's green cap. He handled it for a second, examining the simple piece of cloth Rosa cherished. It was a raggedy old thing, but it was still in one piece. He brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply. The womanly but musky smell was almost intoxicating to him, the way the once sweet Cristina was.

Ezio shook his head, he could no longer stand being in the guild or anywhere that would remind him of Rosa. He tucked the hat away safely in his robe and exited through the window. He took his leisurely stroll through the cobblestone roads rather than the rooftops. He didn't know what time it was exactly but the city itself was dead. Candle light that once illuminated the streets had been snuffed out. Even the local drunks had already made their way back home.

He approached the alleyway where he arrived first in Venezia. Beyond that laid the Seta, the Doge's personal _palazzo._ Ezio was drawn to the light of the Seta, just to see what was going on there at such a late hour. Ezio climbed his way up a ladder into a better vantage point that was out of the guards eyesight. Not that they would do anything about him, they were too weary from the boredom of their jobs to care.

Only a few candles remained lit in the Seta, but one balcony door remained opened, the light from the room pierced the night sky. It would seem as if fate called him there when the unmistakable figure of Cristina emerged onto the balcony. Her silhouette was of a silk garment, waving gently in the Venetian breeze. Her hands clasped the railing as she peered out onto the canals. Ezio's heart began beating faster when it seemed as if she turned to look at him, but there was no way she could see him with the contrast of his robes against the night sky.

His heart sunk back into his chest when another figure emerged from the doorway, grasping her waist from behind. That was no doubt Manfredo, Cristina's husband. Ezio looked on in envy of that man and his life. The hardest decision he probably had to make was what color garment to wear to the party the next day. He knew nothing of actual struggle, nor did he deserve such a woman as Cristiana. Ezio noticed his fists had clenched as he went about ranting to himself.

The couple retreated back into the room, where the last candle was finally put out and darkness filled the room. Ezio sighed heavily, taking one look back at the balcony, hoping for one more glimpse of Cristina. Alas, that did not come so he made his way back down to the street and continued his walk.

His next stop was into the common living space of Venezia, just past the market. A certain inventor had his workshop located there. Ezio strolled into the alley adjacent to the workshop and peered into the window. He was relieved to see there were still candles lit inside, but no Leonardo to be found. Ezio scanned the room anxiously until the small-framed man emerged from the back room with a crate filled to the brim with brushes and canvas. Now that he knew Leo was awake, Ezio walked back to the front door and knocked gently. After a short pause, the door cracked open, and a weary eye poked out to investigate.

"Its just me Leo." Ezio sounded off somberly. The door opened fully and Leo revealed himself.

"Ezio what in God's name are you doing at this hour?" Leo shooed Ezio into the house and securely closed the door behind him. They both took a seat at the table where Leo had laid his crate down. Ezio took out a bottle of green liquid labeled "oil".

"Your not going to cook with this are you Leo? It looks as if it has already gone bad." Ezio proclaimed, while shaking the tube.

Leo smiled at his friend's lack of knowledge. "No I am using it to paint for the Doge. Its quite a tricky substance actually, I would much rather paint a fresco for the Doge but since Venezia is so damp, it would peel off the walls before I could even finish it." Leo took the bottle from Ezio's playful hand and set it back in the crate. "But you did not come here to receive an education in art did you amico?" Ezio lowered his head. "Come now, tell me what is wrong." Leo got up and grabbed two cups. He poured a dark liquid into each and set one cup in front of Ezio as he took his seat again.

"I fear I have made a mistake." Ezio sipped the liquid instantly recognized it as that coffee stuff Antonio had been so addicted to lately. Leo's face urged him to continue.

"Earlier tonight, I had the meeting with Cristiana, things did not go as planned. I ended up pretending to be Manfredo with the intention to ask her to leave the _palazzo _the city with me before the thieves attack."

"How on earth did you trick that woman into believing you were her husband?" Leonardo snickered.

"I dug up some of my old clothes, and a mask. It wasn't too hard to do. Anyway, somehow we ended up kissing and my mask fell off. In the confusion I forgot to hide my voice and I was compromised." Ezio shook his head, still in disbelief he could make such an infantile mistake.

"So you kissed her." Leonardo said nonchalantly. "I doubt she would tell anyone that would care, or even know who you were for that matter. You know women and their frivolous gossip, I find it amusing at times while I paint in the _palazzo._ I know just about everything that is going on behind Venezia's closed doors just from the gossip." Ezio dug his face into his hands.

"Rosa followed me and saw the entire thing." Leonardo almost dropped his cup when he heard.

"Are you sure it was her?" Without words, Ezio reached into his robes and pulled out Rosa's hat and placed it on the table. Leonardo massaged his forehead as he tried to dream up a solution.

"Have you spoken to her since?" The artist was having trouble finding a solution for his friend's problem.

"I did, and I did the most foolish thing any man could have done." Ezio shook his head again. "I told her I loved her."

"You love her?" Leonardo was blindsided by this, he was not accustomed to his friend every speaking of a woman outside the family in this manner. " Rest assured _amico,, _I am not very well versed in matters involving women, but wouldn't that be a good rather than a bad thing to tell a woman? As long as you truly mean it that is."

"That is the thing. I took the leap and told her I loved her. It was surreal how when I just stopped thinking and just talked from deep within what came out, it surprised even me."

"And she said?" Leo was leaning forward deep into the conversation now, excited, expecting to hear what he thought she would say back.

"She said 'I'm sorry', and then she left. I haven't heard from her since." Leo's expression turned from an eager grin into a sorrow and apologetic one, even though he wasn't the one ripping this assassin apart.

"Well at least you and she now knows how you feel. I still don't see that as being foolish in any way. Don't be so hard on yourself." Leonardo said, desperately trying to find a silver lining in the situation.

"Leo, I don't care that she didn't say it back. I didn't say I loved her so I could hear her say it back to me. I said it because I wanted her to know how I felt. I'm not angry nor do I resent her for it."

"So why come to me at this hour?" Leo said quizzically.

"You are my oldest and most trusted friend. I did not know where else to turn. You are the closest thing I have to home anymore. Everything in this city and the guild remind me of her. Everything I see is a reminder of the mistake I just made." Ezio stared out the window and sighed deeply.

"Ezio, I am humbled you feel this way. I mean, I love you as if you were my own brother, but you have got to stop feeling as though tonight was a mistake. Everything happens for a reason, whether that reason be revealed to you now, or later you will understand and overcome it. That I can promise you."

"I do not regret tonight by any means." Ezio looked straight into Leonardo's eyes as if he were about to begin bearing his soul again to him.

"The only mistake I made tonight was not going after her when she left."

**Sorry it took so long for this update, I had a lot of school work that demanded attention . but now its spring break so hopefully I can get a few chapters up before it ends. Thanks for reading ****J**


	11. Chapter 11

**Wow, I definitely did not know you guys liked this story so much ****J I am so sorry it has taken me this long to update, but it was one bad thing after another. My computer deleted the entire story so I had to start everything over again. But for making you wait this long, I am going to put up another chapter before the end of the weekend because you all are so amazing J special thanks to **_**I forgot my name XD **_**for the extra motivation to finish. Please don't kill me ;) **

Ezio was awakened by the commotion going on inside of Leonardo's workshop. Over the sound of wood clanking together, he could hear Leonardo directing traffic, an unusual role for the soft hearted inventor.

"Be careful with that! It is an extremely delicate piece of machinery." Leonardo barked at the thieves who were consolidating his flying machine into small, backpack sized pieces. Ezio groaned as he palmed his temples. He must have only slept for two hours or so, his whole fiasco with Rosa carried late into the night. His heart to heart with Leo lasted even longer. After buttoning up his tunic, Ezio haphazardly threw on his armor and headed to the table where Leo was sitting sipping his favorite morning drink.

"_Café_ Ezio?" He asked not expecting him to accept his offer.

"Sure" Ezio replied, he was willing to take anything to wake himself up. The bitter bite of the coffee would surely shake the cobwebs from him. As he sipped his coffee, Ezio gazed out the window, trying to push the images of the night before out of his head. The only thing he wanted to focus on was killing Emilio Barbagio and finding the apple. He could worry about his relationships later.

"Ezio?" Leonardo called out to him snapping his fingers to get his attention.

"Is everything alright?" Leo asked quizzically.

"Just nervous about the big day" Ezio replied trying to avoid any talk of Rosa.

"That reminds me, we are due in Antonio's office in a few minutes we better get moving."

Ezio agreed and stood to follow Leonardo out the door. The cobblestone streets were crowded with carnivale performers as well as last minute shoppers bustling around for last minute party supplies. The usual five minute walk to the guild was taking at least double the time today. When the pair arrived, the guild was practically empty. The thieves were no doubt snatching purses from the very shoppers Ezio had fought through to get here. The two walked into Antonio's office who was not surprisingly, sitting behind his desk sipping café.

"Leo, Ezio I was beginning to think you two wouldn't show." Antonio said sarcastically.

" _Mi dispace_, the crowds out today are horrendous." Leonardo complained. All three of the men took a seat around the desk. "I guess we aren't the only ones running late this morning eh?" Leo asked noticing the two empty chairs next to his left.

"Well Rosa and Cristiano aren't exactly known for their timeliness." Ezio's heart raced at the sound of her name. "I am sure they will be here momentarily. In the mean time, Leo try these new beans I received from Milan they are delicious." Antonio added. Leo took a cup, being one to never turn down a cup of café. Ezio closed his eyes and placed his hand on the beanie in his pocket as the other two men marveled at their "exquisite" beverage. He ran his fingers around the beanie gently, it was only a matter of time before he and Rosa would be within breathing distance of each other.

Rays of warmth shone down onto Rosa's face through the separated beams of her hideaway. She awoke disoriented squinting her eyes and grabbing anything she could to sit herself up. Grunting as she grasped the rails of the gondola, she almost tipped it over, forgetting momentarily that she was on a boat. She barely got any sleep the night before because of the boat kept her in an awkward position all night. As she got situated, Rosa remembered today was the day. It was the day the thieves were going to take back Venezia, with the aid of an assassin who had her world turned upside down. It was also the day she was supposed to meet Antonio in his office. That was about fifteen minutes ago. Rosa nimbly climbed away from her hiding spot and began racing back towards the guild. She knew the streets would be crowded today, so she took a route along the rooftops. As she ran she expected to hear guards yapping at her for being there but most of them were in awe that a woman was the one moving so elegantly along the rooftops. With her beanie, her hair was hidden from the guards but now without it, her hair was flowing wildly behind her as she navigated the rooftops.

Within minutes she arrived at the guild, her clothes were still dirty and tattered from the night before, and her hair was messier than ever. But she had no time to go upstairs and change, she was late as it is. She saw Cristiano parked against the wall next to Antonio's door with his arms folded across his chest.

"Its about time you got here. Do you know how late it is?" He asked concerned.

"I'm here aren't I? Why are you not already inside?" She answered back with a question of her own.

"I didn't want you to have to go in alone, everyone else is already inside." Cristiano said compassionately.

"_Cazzo_ exactly who else is in there?" Rosa asked worried.

"Just Antonio Leo and Ezio" He answered. Rosa's heart sank after he said the last name. Just what she needed, the man who she had ripped open the night before to be within stabbing distance of her. There was no avoiding him this time. Cristiano nodded his head forward impatiently signaling that they could no longer wait outside. She shook her head, as Cristiano opened the door to the office. After a few seconds of hesitation, Rosa trudged in closely behind Cristiano.

Ezio shot up in his chair when he heard the door open. After glancing back and seeing Cristiano walk in, he immediately glued his eyes to the ground. Rosa walked in with her eyes on the ground as well so she couldn't tell if Ezio was glaring at her. Cristiano took the seat farthest away from Ezio leaving Rosa to take a seat next to Leo. "_Fottuto_" Rosa mumbled under her breath as she took a seat.

Both Rosa and Ezio fixed their eyes on the ground and crossed their arms in the chair. Leonardo tried to break the awkward silence first. "Good news, Cristiano you and your men do not have to arrange fires around the _Palazzo_ I fear it would attract too much attention so I lessened the weight of the device so it could fly longer without hot air beneath it. That in addition to the costal breeze we will be getting should be enough to carry Ezio directly to the _palazzo_." Leonardo remarked, patting himself on the back for his cleverness.

"That is fantastic news Leonardo. One less thing to worry about tonight." Antonio looked back and forth between the assassin and his daughter. Neither had moved since they entered the room. He was the only one in the room not aware of what happened the night before. "Since we have the extra man power, Cristiano you will take your men to the side entrance to the _palazzo_, while your sister takes the frontal assault. Ezio, you of course will come in from the air." Antonio said as he rearranged the wooden pieces on his precious board.

"If that is all I am needed for, I have matters that require my immediate attention" Leonardo interrupted, eager to get out of the line of fire between Ezio and Rosa.

"Of course _amico_." As Antonio shook Leonardo's hand goodbye he exchanged a coin purse with him as payment for the flying machine. Leo took it without a fuss, and left the room.

"Cristiano you are free to go as well. Get some rest, you are looking rather exhausted." Cristiano simply nodded and headed out the door.

"As for the two of you" Antonio placed his hands authoritatively on the desk. "I don't know what is going on between you but your better get over it before tonight. I…We have worked to hard to lose this now." Antonio sat back down in his chair. "That is all." Ezio stood and left the room without a word. And after a few tense seconds Rosa did the same. Antonio shook his head. The two were acting like teenagers, he couldn't risk failing tonight. He had to do something to get those two back to normal.

Ezio walked out of the office and didn't look back the entire time it took him to get up to his quarters. It was still early in the day, but he needed to rest. He wouldn't be doing anyone any good in the zombie like state he was in.

His room looked exactly the same as when he left it last. The floor still creaked with every heavy set step he took. There was no way he would be able to sleep with the light coming in through the window so closed the shutters and drew the curtains. He did this to no avail as the curtains had been sitting there so long, the already thin sheet had been chewed through by moths leaving a gaping holes throughout. Ezio sighed heavily, there was just no winning for him today. He removed his tunic and hung it over the dilapidated curtain, stretching it as far as possible to block out the light. Satisfied with the lighting now, Ezio plopped down on the bed. Finally now, he could get some rest.

Just before he fell into slumber Ezio heard the door next to him creak open and immediately shut. He wasn't the only one who was in desperate need of a mid day nap. He smirked as he heard Rosa curse the sun for being so damn bright at this hour. She too slammed her shutters closed. He laid there listening to her mutter to herself. It sounded like she was chastising herself for something, but he couldn't make out what.

It was only a few moments before silence overtook each of the rooms. Ezio could not fight it any longer. He let himself drift off to sleep, it was only a matter of hours until he would rid the world of one less templar as well as control something the Borgia wanted most. The apple.

**Just setting the stage for the big sha-bang J I hope you are all ready for what comes next. don't forget to comment on what you liked, what you hated and everything in between I want to know how you feel!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Here it is finally ****J Hope you love it!**

Chapter 12: Stealing Hearts

Ezio slept deeply for what seemed like an eternity in his room. The loud cracking of fireworks startled Ezio out of his deep sleep. He was startled so much, he instinctively grabbed his sultan's knife hidden under his pillow and assumed a defensive position in the middle of the room. After looking around puzzled, Ezio deemed the room safe and snatched his tunic from the rod it hung off. He was quite surprised when he was greeted by a picture perfect scene of the sun setting over the Venetian canal. _Could I have really slept that long?_ He wondered to himself. Hopefully he wasn't late to his own party.

Ezio took special care in dressing himself today. After all, he was either going to die today or kill one of the most vile men in all of _Italia_. Either way, he had to look good. His bleached white tunic was carefully folded and held in place by his leather belt. Next he pulled on his chest and shoulder armor, pulling the straps tight to ensure there was no movement during battle. Then he slid on his boots, and meticulously buckled them all the way up his calve. Ezio ran fingers along his instruments of the trade. He smiled at the cool steel of his throwing blades as he slid seven into the pockets on each side of his leather belt. Finally he slid on his most prized positions, his hidden blades and the sword of Altair. These were the blades his father, who used them to kill many infamous men before him. Now, Ezio was using these blades to write a legacy of his own. Tonight these very blades would end the life of an oppressor as well as a traitor known as Emilio Barbagio. Ezio gave a good tug on the hilt of his sword to make sure it was on securely then flipped up his hood and headed out the door for Antonio's office.

"Ezio! You look well rested." Antonio raised his hands in enthusiastic celebration.

"I am _amico_, nothing a bit of sleep couldn't fix." This was reassuring to Antonio, as he was petrified that his entire operation was in jeopardy.

"Is there anything I can do to help prepare?" Ezio asked eager to get started.

"I think we have just about everything covered Ezio. If you'd like you can go with Cristiano and assist the men in bringing your flying contraption to the top of the _campanile_. I'm sure one less trip they would have to take up there would be much appreciated."

"_Va bene_ where could I find them?"

"They have taken the pieces to a nearby roof. I'm sure if you head in that direction you will spot them hanging around. Slackers." Ezio nodded and headed out.

The band of thieves was exactly where Antonio said they would be. Lounging lackadaisically on a rooftop a stone's throw away from the Campanile. They were startled when they saw the hooded man come forward.

"Uh, Ser Ezio, we didn't expect you to be here so early. We were just getting started bringing your contraption up." The flying machine was reduced to a pile of messenger bags centered around the thieves. The thief nodded his head to the side to urge the other thieves to begin grabbing the bags and scaling the Campanile.

"_No problema_ I simply have come to help." Just as Ezio finished Cristiano appeared.

"Come to help I see. _va bene_ we could always use a hand." Cristiano handed Ezio a satchel and leapt across to the Campanile with a bag on his own back. Ezio followed in a similar fashion. Two trips later, all the bags were atop the Campanile, their contents compartmentalized according to function.

"What now?" Ezio asked, having no idea himself how to put this machine together. Cristino whistled over two men. One was a rather young thief who had another man, similarly dressed to Leonardo but with glasses hooked under his arm. The younger looking Leonardo was looking a bit petrified at the height he was now standing at. He bowed to Ezio before he spoke.

"Leonardo could not make it up here today to construct the machine himself so he sent me, his apprentice to do it for him." The young man took another look over the edge and swallowed hard. "Rest assured I have taken apart and reassembled this machine many times. I should be finished within the hour."

"_Bene_ I was not aware that Leonardo had an apprentice. I'm sure if he can trust you I can as well." The apprentice nodded his head and took off to work. Ezio and Cristiano stood on the edge of the Campanile overlooking the city.

"In a few hours, this beautiful city will be emancipated from the templar rule. And its all thanks to you Ezio. For this you have my respect as well as my gratitude." Cristiano held out his hand to be shaken by Ezio.

"I wish I could please everyone as I have pleased you Cristiano." Ezio shook his hand.

"You already have, Ezio. You know how stubborn she is. She just needs a little bit of time to sort out whatever she has going on in that heard head of hers." Ezio laughed lightly. "Speaking from experience I see?" Cristiano giggled a bit. "He wont be done for a bit" Ezio nodded toward the apprentice "why don't we go grab a drink and talk, I really don't know you that well." Ezio offered. He saw no harm in passing time with a drink or two so the two headed to a bar just a few steps away from the base of the Campanile.

When the two entered the bar, it wasn't a scene Ezio hadn't expected. There were many men already drunk hobbling around the bar, gambling or gabbing with one another. There was an acrobat in the corner, striking unnatural poses earning himself a pelting of coins from the drunken bystanders. Ezio and Cristiano weaved their way through the crowd up to the bar where they found a pair of seats away from the madness. The bartender plopped a pair of mugs down in front of the men and walked off. Raising their glasses to each other, they both took a long swig. Ezio's face cringed up. The liquor burned the back of his throat as it went down. It was quite a bit stronger than the _vino_ he was used to.

"Its good" Ezio managed to squeeze out of his throat. "So tell me, what do you know about women?" Ezio said with a sly grin, referring to their previous conversation. Cristiano put his mug down.

"You mean about my sister." Ezio smiled again, guilty as charged. "Your persistent aren't you. But what I was going to say up there was Rosa's not one for relationships. Ever. I'm not entirely sure what you have done to her but its just not the same as her previous relationships. Her normal confident walls crumble around you and its like she's a teenager. And since this is unfamiliar territory for her, you should of expected that she'd run away, but like a moth to it's flame, she will come back." Cristiano's words were reassuring to Ezio but, the only thing that would settle his mind and heart were off running around somewhere in Venezia. Ezio was reluctant to ask his next question. "what happened between you and Alexia?" Cristiano's body tensed at the sound of her name. He hesitated before answering. "She just, left. Nothing I could do, I figured if she wanted me she'd come back. But that was years ago, and look at me now, still waiting. It's a mistake I warned Rosa of. I don't want her to suffer the torment I did by not going after what I wanted. But in the end she is her own person and will make her own decisions, weather we like it or not."

"That's women for you" Ezio added in. "I suppose it is." On that note the two men finished their drinks and maneuvered their way out of the bar that was getting even more crowded as the festivities began. It was almost nine now, only three hours until they were to strike. Ezio thanked Cristiano for the drinks and headed back to the top of the Campanile.

Not surprisingly the apprentice and thief were gone, all that was left standing was the contraption which stood facing the _Palazzo_. Ezio's only job now was to watch over his bird as well as take note of whatever was going on at the _Palazzo _until he received word that it was time to fly_._ He sat on the edge facing the _Palazzo_, letting his feet dangle over the side. He watched as crowds of people, who seemed like mere dot beneath him moved throughout the courtyard below. They moved from tent to tent observing and participating in whatever challenge lied beneath. The brilliant colors of blue, purple and gold seemed to shine all the way up to where Ezio was sitting. Maybe he thought to himself, one day he could participate in these celebrations rather than just stalk them from above, but that with his life the way it is now seemed like a far away dream. The pyrotechnics began almost startling Ezio again because of the loud boom. Ezio was entranced by the amount of light and sound that could be produced by whatever was on the ground. He had never witnessed fireworks of this magnitude back in _Firenze_. Ezio went into his pocket and lifted Rosa's beanie. He held it carefully in his hand, examining it for no reason really, just to feel it, to smell it, it was the closest he had to company all the way up there. Or so he thought.

"_Ladro_." Ezio almost dropped the beanie, startled at the sound of her voice. "I finally caught you."

His smile widened. Ezio stood up and raised his hands in mock surrender, not yet turned around to see her face. He could feel her coming closer to snatch the beanie from him. Just as she got within arms length he quickly pulled his hand down and tucked it away in his robe.

"Foolish _assassino_, that is not what I have come to reclaim." Ezio turned around confused. The moonlight illuminated Rosa, who stood within a foot from him, dressed in her usual blouse boots and vest. Her hair though wasn't a ravens nest, it was combed down to where it was almost straight except for her ends which kicked up defiantly. He had never seen her hair done outside of her beanie before, he wasn't sure anyone had. He had to admit, this was a beautiful surprise.

"Its not?" Ezio asked wondering what on earth she could be talking about.

"I have come to take back-" Rosa came closer and placed her hand on his chest so she could feel his heart beating rapidly. Ezio almost lost all of his breath when she touched him. "_mio cuore_" Ezio couldn't resist any longer. He grabbed her hand from his chest and pulled her into a passionate kiss, one she flew eagerly into. They stayed with their lips locked together until they came up to gasp for air. Ezio tried to go in for another kiss when Rosa spoke out placing her hands on his chest. "Wait. I have to apologize to you Ezio, I-"

"Its okay I understand I shouldn't have put you in that situation before." Ezio cut off and tried again to kiss her. Rosa placed a finger on his lips before they reached his. She pulled his hood off and looked intently into his eyes.

"No, Ezio, that is what I wanted from you. What I needed from you. I just didn't expect to get it. I told myself the second I saw you kiss Cristina that I was ready to let you go, but I wasn't. Part of me expected you to leave on your own like everyone else I loved did in my life. So I figured I keep you out, and beat you to it by leaving you first. But somehow you got in, and stole the very thing I need to stay alive. But now I realize, I trust you completely and I want you to have my heart, to keep it safe with you always because I feel like as long as I have you I will make it through anything alive no matter what. _Ti amo Ezio, ora e per sempre non importa quale._"

Ezio smiled and pulled out her beanie and slid it on her head. His hands never leaving her head, Ezio placed his forehead against hers, closed his eyes and whispered "your heart, will always be safe with me." Rosa smiled as she felt his scar on her lips once again.

"Alright _assassino, _lets not get carried away." Shivers went up Rosa's spine as she felt Ezio's hand slide enticingly up the back of her shirt. "I have a few loose ends to tie up before we can strike. Tonight we will all dine in the gardens of the _Palazzo_." Ezio walked Rosa to the ledge where an eagle's post lie. He expected her to begin a long line of expletives, but she simply looked over the edge and shrugged. Ezio was impressed with her show of courage, but she hadn't taken a leap of faith just yet.

"Are you willing to take the leap _Madonna_?"

"Only if you promise to catch me when I fall." She answered back with a smile. Ezio lifted her chin to kiss her one last time. "Always."

"One last thing." Rosa untied the ribbon around her neck and laced it around the bracer that covered his hidden blade. "This always gave me luck in the past, I don't think I will be needing it tonight seeing as you are the one jumping off the _campanile_ with one of Leonardo's contraptions." Ezio removed his necklace and placed it on Rosa's neck. "If I am to wear this ribbon, then you must wear this. My father gave this to me when I was a boy to protect me whenever he was gone. Now I want this to keep you safe."

Rosa walked confidently to the very edge of the beam with Ezio close behind. His arms wrapped around her hips to prevent any premature falling.

"Just lean back and relax, feel the air passing your body. You will be on the ground before you know it."

"Sounds easy enough. I'll see you one the inside _amor_." Rosa lifted Ezio's hands from her waist, and turned to face him. She smiled coyly, spread her arms and closed her eyes. "Ciao amor" Ezio stepped forward and pushed her chest with his pointer finger. Rosa didn't even flinch as she began her freefall. Ezio peered over the edge and watched her as she quickly shrunk to a green dot speeding towards the ground. After seeing her safely hop out from the bale of hay, Ezio returned to his post and tried to keep track of Rosa as she moved to meet other thieves by the docks. He couldn't wait for dinner tonight.

********EDIT****** Sorry I was stupid enough to forget the translations. It was late and I wanted to get this up as soon as I finished it. Thanks to D for the review and reminding me :)**

**Translations:**

**Amico:Friend**

**Va bene:Okay**

**Palazzo:Place**

**Ladro:Thief**

**Mio cuore: My heart**

**Amor:my love**

**Ciao:goodbye**

**Ti amo Ezio, ora e per sempre non importa quale-I love you Ezio,now and forever no matter what. **

**(is it just me or does everything sound sexier in italian? ^.^)**

**Sorry it took so long guys but I wanted this to be PERFECT… I hope it lived up to your expectations. Drop me a line in a message or a review, I'd really appreciate it **


	13. Chapter 13

It was almost midnight and there was no time to waste. Rosa had already hopped out of the hay carriage and was headed towards the Palazzo. Cristiano was stationed in an alleyway a few blocks from the palazzo. He and his men were there with a large group of people Rosa had never seen before.

"I see you brought company?" Rosa asked quizzically, not taking kindly to the courtesans and brutes before her.

"More like reinforcements. I scanned the area of the Seta earlier, there was an increased presence of guards at the gates, but the rooftop archers are missing, probably off taking part in the _festivities_ of Carnevale." Cristano replied with a playful nudge. "I see you are in a better mood my sister."

"Aren't you observant?" Rosa replied fighting back a smile. "What is the plan?"

"You will see in time, follow me."

Cristano took the lead and began walking towards the Palazzo's main gates with nothing short of a mob following him. When they were within eyesight of the Seta, Cristiano reached into his pocket and threw a pouch of coins to one of the courtesans. Once she weighed the bag in her hand and proved it to be satisfactory, she and her group of ten girls strutted off towards the Seta. Half the girls went around to the side gate, the other half the front. Cristiano could tell just by looking at the guards that they too, had taken part in the festivities of Carnevale. They were hollering and bantering on at the girls as they seduced them back towards the alleyway the thieves and mercenaries were now hiding in. Twelve men drunkenly filed into the alleyway behind the courtesans and once they were out of the sight of the Seta, the mercenaries pounced. There was a short cry from the head mercenary as they descended upon them. Before the guards could comprehend what was happening they were all unconscious, having been suffocated or hit over the head with the blunt end of a mercenary's axe. Cristiano was clear he did not want a mess made of the men; blood on the uniforms would ruin his entire plan. The thieves then disarmed and disrobed the men, disposing of some of the bodies in a near by wagon of hay. The last few, Cristiano propped them up along a wall in a nearby alley wearing nothing but their skivvies. It was _Carnevale_ after all, this was not the worst thing that any passer-by would see, but it would be the most humorous.

Rosa didn't remove any of her original clothing. Even though the thieves had given her the smallest uniform of the pack, the extra length of the guard pants pooled at her feet. Cristiano, already outfitted in his Venetian armor strolled over snickering at Rosa.

"I don't think blue is your color _bella_." Rosa pursed her lips. Cristiano knelt down.

"Here let me help you." Cristiano put his hands on either side of Rosa's waistbands and began rolling the pants up until the no longer sagged on the ground. Rolling the pants also tightened the pants around Rosa's waist to where she could move without them falling off.

"_Grazie_ brother." Rosa said palming her forehead, detesting the fact that her younger brother was helping her dress.

Once all twelve men (including Rosa) had finished dressing and rearming themselves with the Venetian Guard's gear they lined up in four rows, mimicking the formation the guard usually travels in.

"Impressive." Rosa muttered to her brother. "This may actually work."

"Oh I am not finished yet." Cristiano placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled rhythmically. From the rooftops descended a figure in a white robe that was stained with crimson liquid.

"Ezio! Are you hurt?" Rosa rushed to the figure. She pulled the hood from the figure and gasped. _"Che cosa? _Ugo? What are you doing wearing Ezio's robes?_"_

"Well you didn't think they were just going to open the gates for us did you?" Ugo replied quickly.

"And the blood?" Rosa questioned.

"Its just dye from Leonardo, relax it is just in case the guards are too paranoid to let a fully healthy assassin into the _palazzo_. I doubt they will be sober enough to even care what I am capable of. Now, we must get moving we are wasting time."

Ugo placed his hood back on and stepped into the middle of the thieves' formation, where he lowered himself to his knees. The two thieves on either side of him took an arm drug him loosely as they began their march to the _palazzo._ Cristiano took the lead, while Rosa fell to the back end of the formation. As the thieves moved across the large courtyard separating the _palazzo_ from the alleyways they were easily spotted by Ezio who was still atop the _Campanile_, already strapped into his flying device. Once he saw them, he began readying himself for takeoff. He pushed the machine as far back as he could from his takeoff ledge. Taking several deep breaths, Ezio began a count down. "3…2…1!" Ezio pushed off his back feet, making sure to get as much force as possible in the three steps he had room to take before he had to jump. After clearing the ledge Ezio held on tight, praying that his "wings" would catch a draft of air, otherwise the street would be painted with his blood. The wings took air, seamlessly gliding towards the _palazzo_. The steady sound of wind tunneling past him filled his ears. Ezio breathed a sigh of relief, his friend's invention had actually worked, and he was indeed flying. From below, Rosa caught a glimpse of Ezio and his craft as it crossed the path of the full moon, making him look like a winged demon from the street perspective. He disappeared into the night sky after crossing the moon, almost to the rooftop of the _Palazzo._

Ezio was almost in range of the Palazzos rooftop when he came to a startling realization. He learned how to fly the craft, but not how to land it. Thinking quickly, Ezio maneuvered the craft on a course straight towards the canal. There was a narrow strip of rooftop without guards that he could land on after he ditched the craft into the Canal. Easier said than done. If he overshoots it, he would have a long swim to the _Palazzo, and _undercutting it would mean an untimely encounter with one of the _palazzo's_ steep walls.

As the canal got closer and closer, Ezio took a deep breath and disengaged himself from the craft. He tensed his body in preparation for what he knew would be a hard landing. The good news was, his machine had taken a direct line into the canal, the noise of the splashdown, and his hard landing was covered by a timely firework. The bad news was he was now rolling down the rooftop unable to get a grip on any of the shingles, as his body was crushing them before he could get a hold of a solid one. Before he knew it, he ran out of rooftop to roll on and was sent over the side of the _palazzo._ Instinctively, he caught the edge of the rooftop with his right arm while the rest of his body dangled over the canal. Ezio struggled a bit to regain his grip with both hands on the ledge, as pieces of the shingles were still rolling down hitting him atop the head before they fell into the canal. He eventually did regain his composure and pull himself back to the rooftop. Ezio made his way over to take a look at the _Palazzo's_ courtyard.

Not even a minute into peering over Ezio heard the one word that could ruin everything for him.

"_Assassino!"_ Someone from below shouted. Ezio's heart began to race. His eyes frantically searched for a place to hide. There was an open window on below the ledge where he had almost fallen over. He darted back to that side and worked his way down to the window. There was no candle lit in the room luckily so he snuck in undetected. He made his way to a window across the room that had a view directly into the courtyard where again he heard "_assassino!"_ being shouted. Ezio felt a rush of relief as he began to put it all together. He hadn't been compromised. It was Cristiano and his men at the main gate, demanding that they open up.

"Open up comrade! My men and I have injured an assassin and per our orders must hand him in to _il Doge_." Cristiano shouted through the metal gates.

"An assassin? Really?" The guard who stood at the gate spoke in awe. He too clearly had taken part in the festivities. His breath was wreaked of cheap wine. Without and sort of hesitation he pulled the chain to lift the gates for Cristiano and his men to enter. The gate man came closer to investigate the assassin, still in awe that they had actually caught one. He tried to make his way into the formation to poke and prod the assassin, but was shoved to the ground by Cristiano.

"Back off drunken _ragazzo._" Cristiano hissed authoritatively. The young man was put off and stormed back to his post. Cristiano and his men stood in the center of the courtyard in front of a large bay window to which Cristano called out.

"_Doge!_ I have captured one of the assassins. He is wounded but not dead. My men and I have come to collect our bounty." A candle light appeared and grew closer to the window. A figure emerged to the balcony to greet Cristiano. It was in fact Emilio Barabagio. Upon seeing his target, Ezio began making his way toward him. He hurried back to the rooftops where he skirted around the edges to a position above where he had last seen the Doge. Emilio was still on the balcony. He placed his hands on the balcony's railing as he began to project his voice.

"If this is indeed the notorious assassin, show yourself!" He shouted at the robed figure who was still pretending to be wounded. All of the thieves smirked to themselves at the Doge's stupidity. Their smirks evolved into full smiles as they saw dark figure emerge on the roof directly above where the Doge was standing.

"_Assassino! Assassino!_" The gatekeeper began yelling and pointing in Ezio's direction. He was originally disregarded because the Doge thought he was drunkenly pointing at the figure in the middle of the formation. Unfortunately for the guard, Rosa quicky grew tired of his loud remarks. As soon as he started barreling towards the formation of men, Rosa snapped around, unsheathed her stiletto and thrust it into the gatekeeper's abdomen. He was stopped in his tracks, but in that same instant the Doge realized these people weren't who they claimed to be. As the Doge whipped around to look up at what the gatekeeper was pointing at, the last thing he saw was a flurry of Ezio's robes descending unto him. He was sent crashing to the floor where Ezio landed on top of him, hidden blade already drawn and driving straight into the his chest. As the blade dug in, the Doge's body tensed, blood began trickling from his lip, as well as seeping through his robes where he had been stabbed. Ezio had the power to finish him right there, but first he had some questions for the Doge.

"Where is the apple?" Ezio asked menacingly still on top of him. The Doge seemed to be choking on his own blood, but still chose not to answer. Ezio dug the blade in a little deeper. "Where!" The doge grimaced in even more pain.

"V-V-" The Doge struggled to get out his last words. "Vesspucci's"

His head fell over limply to the side as he exhaled on last time.

"_Requiescat in Pace"_ Ezio said as he stood. The crowd of thieves below cheered as the saw Ezio rise. Their elation lasted for a second until they heard a voice bellow from the corridors around them. "Attack!"

Men in red armor emerged from the building the surrounding corridors. Cristiano quickly identified them as Borgia soldiers by the lion on their crests. The thieves quickly drew their weapons, Ugo threw off his robes, revealing that he had snuck in a crossbow as well as enough arrows to down a small army. As he began firing, the thieves began engaging with the Borgia soldiers. Ezio, quickly seeing that the number of Borgias attacking outnumbered their small group of thirteen, jumped down to aid in the fight. He cut down men with ease, taking on two or three men at a time. What the Borgia soldiers lacked in skill, they made up for in numbers. Ezio cut his way across the courtyard to where Rosa was fighting. She had ditched her helmet because it was difficult for her to battle with it on. Unfortunately that made her a target for the Borgia soldiers. Four men had encircled her. They were taunting and shouting obscenities to which she fired back "the only cagna here is you!"

The soldiers laughed at her insults and began converging on her. The first began toying with her, lightly swinging his sword in her direction as she took a defensive stance. The soldier brought his sword down half-heartedly again, this time within striking distance of Rosa. She quickly seized the opportunity by parrying his blade to the side and then kicking him directly in the groin. The soldier fell to his knees grasping himself. Rosa wasted no time and pierced his chest with her stiletto. The other three guards stopped laughing as their comrade fell to his side. Enraged, they began approaching her as a group. An arrow came whizzing in from across the courtyard, directly into on of the soldier's skulls. As he fell, Ezio appeared from behind, each of his hidden blades sinking into a soldier's back.

"Pardon me _Madonna_ but you looked as if you needed some assistance" Ezio mocked, offering his hand in aid. Rosa scoffed and pushed his hand away playfully.

"Our work is not yet finished _assassin_o, what of the apple?" She inquired.

"All the _Doge_ said was _Vespucci_."

"Well, there is something we didn't know." Rosa said sarcastically. "They have made their residence here for the past few days, why don't you have a look around inside, I'm sure we can handle the mess out here."

"_Va bene_, I will return shortly. In the mean time _bella,_ try not to get yourself killed?" Ezio pleaded. Rosa scoffed again.

"I can take care of myself _assassino,_ the apple is the only thing you need worry about for now. Ezio rolled his eyes.

"Of course you can." He leaned down and lightly pecked her lips before taking off behind one of the doors that led to the interior of the _Seta_.

Ezio had no idea where he was going, Antonio's model had only shown the exterior of the _Seta_, so inside he was a sitting duck. This in mind, Ezio walked around stealthily, listening intently for any sound that could lead him to the apple. At the end of the hallway, there was a faint light. Upon closer inspection it led to a spiral stairwell that only led downward. The farther down Ezio went, the brighter and brighter it became until he reached the bottom floor.

It was a large room, which seemed to be the size of the entire courtyard above, the only difference being that it was underground. The empty space was filled with rows and rows of bookshelves and tables at which scholars could spend hours attending to. Magnificent paintings and maps lined the walls. Brass chandeliers hung from every inch of the ceiling, leaving no corner touched by darkness. The smell of hot wax and old books filled the room, and amidst all this was silence. Ezio still crept around, fearing he may not be the only person in this grand room.

As he made his way through the room, about halfway in stood a small pillar, with three golden prongs projecting from the center. Ezio looked closely, deducing that this wasn't a piece of art, rather it was a holder for something, most likely being the apple. On the adjacent table laid diagrams and sketches of the apple, written in a language Ezio could not identify. He rolled up the documents and stashed them away in his robes. Leonardo would know what to do with them. Also on the table next to the candles sat a tea cup. Ezio stuck his pinky into the cup and then into his mouth. The liquid was still almost scorching hot. It tasted just like the mint tea his mother would drink every morning that was exclusive to _Firenze. _Who ever had been sitting here hadn't left but a few minutes before Ezio arrived.

Feeling a new sense of urgency, Ezio began in a sprint across the great room. When he reached the opposite wall he was greeted by another spiral staircase that took him all the way to the top. Just as he reached the top he came to a screeching halt as he heard voices coming from right above him. Ezio slipped back into a crouched position where he cautiously approached the voices. To his relief, at the top of the stair case was a wall shielding him from view. He hurried up and put his back against the wall and peered around the corner at the two voices.

An excessively muscular man, at least a foot taller than Ezio was speaking down to an older more sophisticated figure. "My liege, we must make haste, the assassin will be here any minute." His voice was deep and a bit intimidating to Ezio, but what he was really worried about was the axe strapped to the large man's waist.

"Have you the apple?" The man said, his voice older and more frail. Ezio quickly recognized the him. The voiced belonged to a man who had on many occasion banished Ezio from his house, Alberto Vespucci.

"Yes my Lord." The large man reached under his tunic and pulled out a silk purple bag, the shape of a sphere was glowing from within. Alberto untied the gold cords to verify that it was indeed the treasured artifact. When everything checked out, he carefully placed the apple back in the bag and tied it to his belt.

"And the boat?" Alberto asked.

"The rest of the family is on board, waiting for you." Alberto turned to leave, but was stopped by the large man again. "There is one more thing, Emilio is dead my Lord. He was struck down by the assassin." The news created considerable panic in Alberto's voice.

"That is most unfortunate. I want you to find and kill the assassin. Bring his blade to me and you will receive a considerable reward."

"At once sir." Alberto again took off in the other direction, assumingly towards the docks that sat on the far side of the Seta. Ezio had not time to back track and find a new way out to the docks before it was too late so he unfortunately was going to have to confront the large man.

Ezio could hear the man's footsteps stomping closer and closer. Knowing that he had the element of surprise on his side Ezio sat and waited behind the wall for the man to walk into his waiting arms. He could only hope that Alberto was out of earshot when he pounced because a man this big would not go down quietly. Ezio crouched down and slowly released the mechanisms on both his hidden blades. The man appeared and Ezio charged at him, blades first. The man reacted well to Ezio, as if he was expecting an attack. He grabbed Ezio's wrists and pinned him to the adjacent wall.

"Is that the best you can do _assassino?_" The man smirked and taunted. Angry, Ezio reverted to one of Rosa's tricks Ezio brought his boot up and kicked the man directly in between the legs. The man didn't quite fall to his knees but he lost his balance and began falling down the spiral staircase. Unfortunately for Ezio, the man hadn't let go of his wrists. The both went crashing down the stairs rolling over one another until they were back in the grand library room.

Both men were slow to get up, as Ezio stood he immediately felt a sharp pain in his ribcage. The other man rose and went straight for his axe. Ezio had Altair's sword, but compared to the axe, his sword was a toy. Ezio knew with one blow his sword could be shattered so his best bet was to try and dodge the axe and wait for an opening. The man raised his axe over his head and tried to bring it crashing down on Ezio's head. Thankfully, Ezio rolled out of the way just in time, but not without grimacing at the pain in his ribs. The man raised his axe again, swung and missed, crashing his axe into a sculpture. With every missed swing, he grew more and more frustrated, swinging more erratically than the last time. Ezio could tell his swings were getting more and more sloppy because he was getting tired. After a few more swings Ezio positioned himself against a bookshelf and waited for the man to take the bait. He did, swinging his axe mightily into a bookcase while Ezio dove aside. The axe not only got stuck in the side of the bookshelf, but the force of the blow knocked the shelf over, and with that, the axe was pulled out of the man's hands. As the man struggled to pull his axe free Ezio pounced on the man's back and sunk each of his knives into the mans shoulder blades. The man stood up in pain, trying desperately to shake Ezio off his back. Seeing that his hidden blades wouldn't kill him, Ezio withdrew his right hand blade and retrieved Altair's sword from it's sheath. The man still flailed wildly, but Ezio remained calm and brought Altair's sword to his neck.

"_Requiescat in pace._" Ezio slid the sword across the length of the man's neck. A waterfall of blood spewed along the trail of the blade. Ezio withdrew from the man, who fell to his knees gurgling blood in his last moments of life.

Exhausted from the fight Ezio wanted to plop down and take a breather but he reminded himself that if he lost the apple now, he might not find it again so it began sprinting back up the spiral staircase that led to the docks. Through the long corridor and up another few steps, Ezio ran clenching his side. He burst through the door. The cool Venetian breeze felt good on his face. There was no time to stop and enjoy the scenery, Ezio looked frantically left and right for the ship. As he rounded the corner along the docks, Ezio caught sight of a merchant ship cutting it's final ties with the dock. Ezio rushed over trying to catch it before it gained enough speed to take off into open waters. The boat already disengaged from the dock but the rope that held it there still trailed the boat. Ezio jumped into the water and grasped the rope. He used it to reel himself closer to the back of the boat where he used ledges and window sills to claw his way up to the deck.

All his splashing and climbing didn't go unnoticed though. When Ezio reached the deck a gang of guards all in red Borgia uniforms met him. They pulled him over the railing and onto the deck. Ezio landed with a thud, exhausted from the fight and swim up there. The guards pulled him to his feet and held him in place.

Alberto Vespucci appeared, laughing cynically as he gazed upon the helpless assassin.

"So you are the great assassin who killed _il doge_?" Ezio's head was bowed and his hood shielded his identity from Alberto. "Show yourself assassin!" One of the guards who held Ezio pulled back his hood. Alberto erupted into a dry laughter.

"You have to be kidding me! Ezio? Is that you? Look what has become of Giovanni's little playboy. My, I didn't think you had it in you son!" Ezio grit his teeth at Alberto's remarks. He was going to enjoy slicing his throat by the end of tonight.

"You know, Ezio, I knew your father was innocent. Frankly, I wish I was the one who got to pull that lever, dropping him and your puny brothers to their deaths. I laughed as they fell-" Ezio lurched forward, having heard enough of his ramblings. The guards who held him quickly reprimanded him, stepping on the back of his knees, collapsing him and bringing him to his knees.

"Not so fast assassin, you wouldn't want any more blood on your hands would you?" Alberto motioned off in the other direction. Two more guards appeared restraining a soldier in Venetian armor. As the soldier was brought into the moonlight, Ezio's worst fears were realized. The soldier whose mouth and hands were bound behind their back was Rosa.

Ezio's heart sank as he watched Rosa try twisting and jerking away from her captors. They handed her over to Alberto who was grinning sadistically.

"Oh she's a feisty one. I like that." Alberto barred his arm over her neck and buried his face in her hair. He took a long whiff in. "I think I'll have her bathe me tonight, maybe even more if she's lucky." Rosa cut her eyes at him, disgusted by the thought of having to touch his body. Ezio felt his blood start to boil. His eyes then went to the bag tied to Alberto's waist. He noticed and with his unused hand he pulled the apple from its bag. "Why, is this what you want?" Alberto taunted confidently knowing he had at least ten soldiers between himself and Ezio. Rosa's eyes gleamed in the light of the apple. Her eyes kept shifting from the floor to the apple repeatedly. Ezio was confused for a moment, and then he caught on.

Alberto held the apple out again within inches of Ezio. Rosa then did the unthinkable. She abruptly jumped and kicked the apple out of Alberto's hand, sending it overboard into the sea. Alberto threw her to the ground and made an attempt to catch it before it went overboard. Amidst the chaos Ezio broke his captor's grip and jumped over the port side of the boat after the apple.

Ezio went crashing into the water. Under the water he could only make out a blurry glowing object that was rapidly getting smaller and smaller. He swam quickly after it. Once he retrieved it Ezio surfaced, gasping for air. Disoriented, Ezio looked around frantically for the ship. When he spotted it, the ship was about 100 meters away. In his condition it was impossible for him to catch up to the ship by now.

Ezio swam back to the dock. When he reached it, he pulled himself up out of the water and just laid there, exhausted. He rolled over onto his back still breathing heavily. His ribs pained him every time he took a breath. Ezio grimaced as he went into his robes to pull out the apple. As he inspected it, he noticed there was an odd sticky red substance covering the apple. Ezio looked quizzically at the apple, then down at his once white robes. They were now stained with the same liquid. He brought his free hand down to where the pain was most intense. With his fingertips he could feel the warm liquid oozing from his body. He traced his skin until he reached the depression where the liquid was coming from. One of the guards must have gotten a blade on him when he was making a run off the ship.

In that moment he came to a grave realization. Yes, he killed the Doge, and yes he retrieved the apple, but he had paid a heavy price. Rosa had been lost to Alberto Vespucci. She was on a ship to God knows where, while Ezio laid on the dock, injured, and unable to do anything about it. Perhaps the thing that scared Ezio the most was that he had no idea if Rosa was still alive or not or what Alberto had intended on doing to her. She had sacrificed her own safety to give Ezio a chance at getting the apple. His thoughts became more and more distorted as he tried to get up. Not even making it back to his knees, Ezio ended up collapsing back onto the dock, exhausted, losing the fight, and letting the darkness overtake his body.

Translations:

Che cosa- what the

Ragazzo-boy

Va bene- okay

Cagna-Bitch

**Before you light your torches and pitchforks, let me apologize for taking so long to put this chapter up. I have been unbelievably busy with school and soccer and applying to college that I have not had any time to actually sit down and work on this story. But the good news is, over the course of time I have dreamt up many many ideas for this story, and I am taking it in a whole new direction. It wont be ending any time soon. Again I apologize for the timing, but my life has been hectic these last group of months. Please continue reading and staying with me, I will be doing my damn best to get these ideas out of my head and onto this story! Thank you all so much for sticking with me! Remember I really love your feedback so leave any love hate or mistakes in the comments or feel free ton inbox me. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.**


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